Peter Robbins, original voice of Peanuts' Charlie Brown character, dies at 65

Actor Peter Robbins, the original voice of beloved Peanuts character Charlie Brown, has died. He was 65.

Robbins died by suicide, according to a statement his friend and agent, Dylan Novak, sent to The Times Wednesday. It is unclear when Robbins died.

Robbins, who frequented comic book conventions, began voicing Charlie Brown in 1963 and is credited for his work on the holiday classics "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (1965) and "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966), as well as "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" (1969) and several other TV films and shorts.

"He was a great friend and the most generous celebrity I've ever met," Novak said. "He needed money more than anyone else at the shows he attended, but instead gave away so much free merchandise because he couldn't stand someone to walk away sad."

As a child actor, Robbins' credits included playing Alexander Bumstead in the late 1960s comedy "Blondie," which also starred Patricia Harty, Jim Backus and Will Hutchins. He also appeared in television's "The Munsters," "Get Smart" and "The Boatniks."

Robbins long suffered from mental illness, Novak said, and was very open about it.

"Every convention we went to, he used his platform to encourage anyone who suffers from mental disorders to get help immediately so they didn't end up making the same mistakes he had made," Novak said.