Lee Mendelson, Producer of ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas,’ Dies at 86

This 2015 photo provided by Jason Mendelson shows Lee Mendelson in Hillsborough, Calif. Lee Mendelson, the producer who changed the face of the holidays when he brought “A Charlie Brown Christmas” to television in 1965 and wrote the lyrics to its signature song, “Christmas Time Is Here,” died on Christmas day, Dec. 25, 2019. Jason Mendelson via AP

Lee Mendelson, the longtime executive producer of numerous specials for the TV animated series “Peanuts,” has died, his family said.

The producer, 86, passed away at his San Francisco Bay Area home on Christmas Day, his son Jason Mendelson told CNN.