The voice of beloved Peanuts character Charlie Brown, Peter Robbins, died by suicide two days ago. The former child star’s friend and agent Dylan Novak notified USA Today in a statement he sent to them earlier today. He was 65.
“He was a dear friend of mine that I will greatly miss,” Novak said to USA Today. “He was a great friend and the most generous celebrity I’ve ever met. 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, Robbins voiced the iconic cartoon character from the character’s first TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965, all the way to the character’s first full-length motion picture release, A Boy Named Charlie Brown, in 1969. At that time, Robbins was 13 years old and would quit acting only three years later.
Before his death, Robbins was very open about his mental illness, saying that his bipolar disorder is what led to his trouble with the law during the 2010’s. Such trouble as a 2015 charge for sending threatening letters to a former manager and different members of the media.
“This is what happens when you are bipolar. You behave as if you are on drugs,” Robbins said in court after he was arrested at the U.S. Mexico border for stalking charges. “I want justice to be served, but I’m mentally ill.”
After this, Robbins went on to become something of an advocate for mental health, and in 2019 he went on a press tour promoting mental health facilities for those suffering from such illnesses.
“I would recommend to anybody that has bipolar disorder to take it seriously because your life can turn around in a span of a month like it did to me,” Robbins said to FOX 5, the FOX satellite station in San Diego.