‘Peanuts’ Creator Is in Hospital

Charles M. Schulz, creator of the ubiquitous and enduringly popular “Peanuts” comic strip, underwent emergency abdominal surgery Tuesday at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

According to an official statement Wednesday from United Media, which circulates the strip, “He is in stable condition following . . . surgery for a blocked abdominal artery.” It said he is expected to return home within a week and there will be no interruption in the comic strip.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported Wednesday that fire crews were called to Schulz’s office near his Redwood Empire Ice Arena about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. They found the 76-year-old cartoonist “conscious and alert.” The newspaper story said he previously had complained he was “not feeling well.”

Schulz’s strip, which he began drawing in 1950, appears in more than 2,000 newspapers and in 75 countries. He boasts a readership of 350 million daily. In his 50-year career, he has won five Emmys, two Peabodys and the French Order of Arts and Letters. Well wishes can be sent to Charles Schulz c/o United Feature Syndicate, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.