‘Peanuts’ Creator Charles Schulz’s Home Destroyed in California Wildfire
The wildfires in California have been raging for almost a week and have already claimed 31 lives and countless homes, including the house of the late Charles Schulz, creator of the iconic Peanuts comic strip. It was reportedly completely destroyed on Monday, when fires blazed through the area in the middle of the night. Fortunately, Schulz’s widow Jean was able to evacuate.
Schulz’s son Monte Schulz told the Associated Press on Thursday, “It’s the house he died in. All of their memorabilia and everything is all gone.” Jean is staying with her daughter, Monte said. The Schulzes built their home in Santa Rosa in the 1970s, and Charles Schulz lived there until his death in 2000. He worked in an outside studio, and most of his Peanuts original artwork and memorabilia was kept in the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, which hasn’t been damaged by the fire. (And let’s hope it stays that way.)
Regardless, the loss of his home is still painful. “I had memories of being in that house. I never lived there but I visited all the time,” Monte told the AP. The elder Schulz’s ties to the Santa Rosa area are deep. Its airport is officially called the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport, and its logo features the iconic Snoopy flying on top of his red doghouse.