Vince Guaraldi
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He scored the Peanuts Christmas special when I was a kid and that music marked me forever as a fan of the Shultz comic strip characters brought to life and those adventures they had and their interactions with each other to the tune of his accompanying piano perfection.
Vincent Anthony Guaraldi, who was born Vincent Anthony Dellaglio was an American jazz pianist noted for his compositions and arrangements to which he imparted innovative musical devices. He is well known composing music for animated television adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip, as well as his performances on piano during his ensemble years as well as a solo career.
He passed at age 47 on February 6, 1976 allegedly from cardiac complications which were said to be either heart attack or aortic aneurysm. Regardless, his was a profound loss to his colleagues and the world of music in general.