In a Sept. 23, 2003 file photo, the real Linus, artist Linus Maurer, cuts a ribbon after unveiling a statue of Linus of "Peanuts" comic strip fame during a ceremony in his hometown of Sleepy Eye, Minn. Photo Credit: AP / The Free Press / John Cross
LOS ANGELES - Linus Maurer, a cartoonist and illustrator whose old friend and colleague Charles M. Schulz borrowed his first name for Charlie Brown's blanket-wielding best friend Linus in his "Peanuts" comic strip and cartoons, has died at age 90.
Maurer died Jan. 29 in Sonoma, California, his longtime partner Mary Jo Starsiak said Friday night. His exact cause of death was not clear, but he had struggled with Parkinson's disease and heart trouble late in life.
About 65 years ago, Maurer and Schulz worked together at Art Instruction Schools Inc. in Minneapolis, when "Peanuts" was getting started.
Schulz told the story in a book celebrating the 50th anniversary of "Peanuts."
"Linus came from a drawing that I made one day of a face almost like the one he now has," Schulz wrote. "I experimented with some wild hair, and showed the sketch to a friend of mine who sat near me at art instruction, whose name was Linus Maurer. It seemed appropriate that I should name the character Linus."
It was a common practice for Schulz, who named many "Peanuts" characters, including Charlie Brown, after the people that surrounded him.