Company: Roy Disney, nephew of Walt Disney, dies

[Lorien]

Source: Forbes

LOS ANGELES -- The Walt Disney Co. says Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney who became a powerful behind-the-scenes influence on the family business, has died. He was 79.

The company announced that Disney ( DIS - news - people ) died Wednesday in Newport Beach after a bout with stomach cancer.

His father, Roy O. Disney, and uncle, Walt, founded The Walt Disney Co. in the 1920s. Walt was the company's creative genius but Roy Disney's father played a vital role as head of its financial side.

The younger Disney, born in 1930, worked for the company as a writer and producer. But his most important influence was as a Disney shareholder who led two investor revolts.


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Read more: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/12/16/entertainment-specialized-consumer-services-us-obit-roy-disney_7218008.html

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I worked for him years ago. Great guy. He stood up for the workers and tried to save our jobs when Eisner dumped our entire department. He will be missed.

[Vidar]

1. RIP Mr. Disney.

[Beaverhausen]

2. He did a lot to save Disney

I will be visiting Disneyland on Christmas Eve.

RIP Roy.

[BuelahWitch]

3. RIP Mr. Disney

I always enjoy hearing him talk on the DVD extras.

[The Sushi Bandit]

4. Roy Edward Disney dies at 79

Source: LA Times

Roy Edward Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney whose commitment to his uncle's creative spirit prompted him to mount revolts that led to the unseating of two of the company's chief executives and a revival of the studio's legendary animation unit, died today. He was 79.

Disney, who had been battling stomach cancer, died at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, according to Clifford A. Miller, a spokesman for Disney's company Shamrock Holdings.


Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-roy-disney17-2009dec17,0,1485674,full.story

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RIP Roy, you will be missed!

[Ken Burch]

5. Is he frozen yet?

n/t.

[customerserviceguy]

6. It is written:

"Many are cold, but few are frozen."

[onager]

7. Been reading "Disney War" by James Stewart

Fascinating stuff. Especially the parts about the Eisner/Katzenberg/Ovitz Axis.

Apparently, that gang mostly treated Roy Disney as a has-been trading on his uncle's name, an old fuddy-duddy who just liked to fool around with that old-fashioned 2D animation.

Well...as Roy himself said, when one of their underlings told Roy they were going to force him out of the company: "You just made the biggest mistake of your life."

One funny anecdote: Disney's animators hated Katzenberg, since he often took credit for their ideas. One way they got back at him was by drawing absolutely filthy and scurrilous cartoons about him.

The book says Roy Disney really loved one cartoon, since it summed up the Disney executives of that era.

The cartoon show Katzenberg at a meeting where everyone's penis was on the conference table. Katzenberg's equipment was barely visible, but all the executives around the table were saying: "Yes, sir, yours is the biggest one of all!"

[slackmaster]

8. Wow, I thought Roy had died decades ago

I worked for him years ago. Great guy. He stood up for the workers and tried to save our jobs when Eisner dumped our entire department. He will be missed.

Eisner more than anyone else turned the place into "Mauschwitz" for employees.