Good Grief! 'Peanuts' Creator Stricken

12/07/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

"Peanuts" cartoonist Charles M. Schulz is in stable condition as he recovers from emergency surgery to clear a blocked abdominal artery. Schulz's wife, Jean, said the 76-year-old artist was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, about 45 miles north of San Francisco, on Tuesday after telling staff at his office he did not feel well. He underwent surgery Tuesday afternoon and was placed in intensive care. Mrs. Schulz told the local Press Democrat newspaper that he was doing "just fine" and would probably stay in the hospital about a week.