NEW YORK, Feb 13 - Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, creator of the comic strip, PEANUTS, died early today of colon cancer in Santa Rosa, CA(12:30 am. EST). He was 77 years old. The most successful comic strip in newspaper history, PEANUTS appears in some 2,600 newspaper in 75 countries and is translated into 21 languages. United Feature Syndicate started the strip in syndication on October 2, 1950. The influence of Charles Schulz on several generations of cartoonists cannot be overstated. "With intelligence, honesty, and wonderfully expressive artwork, Charles Schulz gave the comics a unique world of humor, fantasy, warmth and pain that completely reconfigured the comic strip landscape," Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, wrote in 1989. It was PEANUTS that truly brought the American comic strip into the lives of contemporary readers using innovations such as Lucy's Psychiatric Booth, Linus' Security Blanket(a phrase originally coined by Mr. Schulz), Snoopy's fantasies, and Charlie Brown's baseball team. There will never be another cartoonist quite like Charles M. Schulz. In accordance with the wishes of Mr. Schulz, United Feature Syndicate will not ask another artist or writer to take over the creation of the PEANUTS comic strip. Rather, United Feature Syndicate, which holds the copyright to PEANUTS, recently began offering its clients classic PEANUTS comic strips, starting with those that Mr. Schulz created in 1974. These strips began on January 4, 2000; today's Sunday comic strip is the last original created by Mr. Schulz. Nineteen seventy four was chosen because it incorporates the characters of the strips's early days(Charlie Brown, Lucy, Schroeder and Snoopy) with characters who were introduced in more recent years such as Peppermint Patty and Woodstock. During the 50 years that Charles M. Schulz drew and wrote PEANUTS, his style gradually evolved and matured. The strips that he drew in 1974 united the genius of his comic timing and dialogue with the artwork of a master at the peak of his craft. These classic strips will be new, of course, to at least two generations of readers. During his lifetime, Mr. Schulz had approved a select group of artists who were allowed, under close supervision, to draw limited art for PEANUTS licensed items. These artists will continue their work under the direction of United Media and Mr. Schulz's family. "We will be working closely, in the days and year ahead, with Mr. Schulz's family to ensure the continued high quality of all elements of the PEANUTS property," said Douglas Stern, president and chief executive officer of United Media. "We offer our deepest condolences to Jean Schulz, to Mr. Schulz's children, Meredith, Monte, Craig, Amy, and Jill and their families. Nothing was more important to Sparky than family -- it was clear in his work and clear in his life . As millions mourn the man who made us laugh, so do we mourn the loss of a teacher, colleague, and friend."