Bill Melendez, best known for bringing the Peanuts characters to life with such classics as “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” died Tuesday at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica. He was 91.

Melendez, the only animator permitted by Charles M. Schulz to work with the Peanuts characters, earned 8 Emmy Awards, 17 Emmy nominations, 1 Oscar nomination and 2 Peabody Awards. He began his career at Disney and Warner Bros., working on classic characters at those studios, and spent more than 70 years in the entertainment industry.