2009 December, 17th

Lorri Berry

Roy Edward Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney, died today, December 16, 2009, in Newport Beach, California, after a brave fight against stomach cancer. He is the son of The Walt Disney Co.’s cofounder, Roy O. Disney, and grew up learning the ropes in the family business.

Roy E. Disney was born in 1930, just two years after the introduction of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney’s most popular icon. Disney’s death, at age 79, marks the end to an era in the company’s history.

Although he never took official head of the company, he was a longtime senior executive who played a very active role in leading two important shareholders revolts against The Walt Disney Co.’s board—once in 1984, when he succeeded in having Ron Miller, Walt Disney’s son-in-law removed as chairman of the company, and again 20 years later, when he resigned his board seat to lead a campaigned to have Miller’s replacement, Michael Eisner, removed from his chair position. As a result, Robert Iger replaced Eisner. Roy E. Disney was then named a board member emeritus with a warm welcome back.

Roy E. Disney was a well-respected man in the company, who was more of a work-behind-the-scenes type, taking on roles such as editor, screenwriter, and producer. In the 1980s, when he held the position of chairman of the studio’s animation division, he worked to make changes to improve the division and oversaw  a popular succession of hit films such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King.

Not only will Roy E. Disney be remembered for his contributions to animation and his efforts to constantly fight to improve the Walt Disney Co., but to the California community as well. He was involved in supporting the California Institute of Arts, pledged $10 million to establish the Roy and Patricia Disney Cancer Center at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, and made several other charitable donations throughout his lifetime. He was a celebrated humanitarian, who was loved by many and will be greatly missed.

• 2010/06/21 -- Toy Story 3’s big hit and the adult hijack of animation movies
• 2010/03/19 -- TV Pioneer Fess Parker Dies at 85 [Video Tribute]
• 2009/08/12 -- Minnie Mouse Assailant Gets Light Sentence, Mickey Is Furious

About the Author

Lorri Berry is a freelance writer. She has BSJ in Advertising from Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism at WVU in the US. Lorri's experience includes advertising account management, campaign concept development, copywriting and news editorial. She is the mother of three boys and a work at home mom. You can contact Lorri at lberry [at] pamil-visions [dot] net or follow her on Twitter.

See All Posts by This Author