ROY E. DISNEY (1930-2009)

Roy E. Disney, nephew of Walt and son of Roy O. Disney has passed away today after a long battle with cancer.

Roy was, in a way, the face of Disney for the past few years. Looking very similar to uncle Walt, he was always appearing in Disney documentaries, representing the family and telling the history of the company.

He began working for the company filming the TRUE LIFE ADVENTURES in the 1950's. He would go on to head the animation department in the 1990's.

In 2003, when he left the Disney board due to conflicts with then CEO Michael Eisner, many longtime Disney Company fans took Roy's side and joined his "Save Disney" campaign. This eventually led to Eisner leaving the company, and Roy rejoining the board.

On a personal note, several years ago, when Roy and Eisner were still on the board, I attended a meeting of the Disney shareholders. When it was over, Eisner left the building quickly, as did everyone else. But Roy remained. He stayed for quite a while signing autographs. He even signed one for me. He kept telling people he had to go, but rather than turning and running as he could have, he stayed until all the autographs were signed.

You can read the Walt Disney Company's press release here.