'Peanuts' gang says farewell

"Good grief," as Charlie Brown would say. The Peanuts gang bid farewell to millions of fans around the world on Monday, with Snoopy getting the last word. Well, sort of.

The daily comic strip, featuring familiar characters like Linus and Lucy, is coming to an end after its creator, Charles Schulz, announced his retirement last month.

Schulz, 77, was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. He says he wants to focus on his health and family without the worry of a daily deadline.

The popular comic began in October 1950. It's now published in more than 2,600 newspapers around the world. The Peanuts empire of books, TV specials, and merchandise generates more than $1 billion US a year in global retail sales.

The last original cartoon will show Snoopy on top of his doghouse, pondering a letter in his typewriter.

The note is a farewell from Schulz, thanking everyone for allowing him to "fulfil his childhood ambition."

The Peanuts gang will continue to appear in newspapers. United Feature Syndicate plans to start distributing reruns on Jan.4, starting with strips originally drawn in 1974.