Guaraldi's death was a blow to his friends, family and colleagues. "It was totally unexpected," said Mendelson. "The day before the funeral, Carmella mother called and said that they wanted to use the "Peanuts" music. I said, oh, God, I don't think that's a good idea. I begged her not to do it, but she was a strong woman. And they did play it, and I just fell apart; everybody broke up. She was sitting right behind me. I guess it was the right thing to do, but that made the funeral very hard. It was not an easy day; he was so young. It was one of the saddest days of my life." "Peanuts" animator Bill Meléndez added, "He was a real good guy and we miss him."