Roy E. Disney passed away on December 16, 2009 due to complications with stomach cancer. He was 79.
Roy is the nephew of Walt Disney and the son of Roy O. Disney, Walt’s brother and long time partner in the venture that we all know today as the Walt Disney Company.
Roy played a defining role in bringing about the renewal of Disney Animation in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s with such classics as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.
I had the pleasure of meeting Roy Disney along with Jeffery Katzenberg during the Walt Disney World 20th anniversary special event at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park in October of 1991.
Roy O. Disney. Walt Disney World opening dedication in 1971.
Picture was taken at the Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream exhibit at the Disney Hollywood Studios.

Walt Disney reveals the Florida Project on the Wonderful World of Disney.
Picture was taken at the Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream exhibit at the Disney Hollywood Studios.