Vince Guaraldi

Vincent Anthony Guaraldi né Dellaglio July 17 1928 February 6 1976 was an American jazz pianist best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip His compositions for this series included their signature melody Linus and Lucy and the holiday standard Christmas Time Is Here He is also known for his performances on piano as a member of Cal Tjaders 1950s ensembles and for his own solo career His 1962 composition Cast Your Fate to the Wind became a radio hit and won a Grammy Award in 1963 for Best Original Jazz Composition He died of a sudden heart attack on February 6 1976 at age 47 moments after concluding a nightclub performance in Menlo Park California Description above from the Wikipedia article Vince Guaraldi licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia