Roy E. Disney dies at 79; was nephew of Walt

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney whose powerful behind-the-scenes influence on The Walt Dis-ney Co. led to the departure of former chief Michael Eisner, has died. He was 79.

The company announced that Disney died Wednesday in Newport Beach, Calif., after a yearlong bout with stomach cancer. Company president and chief executive Bob Iger said Disney was “much more than a valued 56-year company veteran.”

“Roy’s true passion and focus were preserving and building upon the amazing legacy of Disney animation that was started by his father and uncle,” Iger said in a statement. “Roy’s commitment to the art of animation was unparalleled and will always remain his personal legacy and one of his greatest contributions to Disney’s past, present and future.”

Although he generally stayed out of the spotlight, Roy Disney didn’t hesitate to lead a successful campaign in 1984 to oust Walt Disney’s son-in-law after concluding he was leading the company in the wrong direction. Nearly 20 years later, he launched another successful shareholders revolt, this time against Eisner, the man he’d helped bring in after the previous ouster.

Born in 1930, Roy Disney had practically grown up with the company. His uncle, Walt Disney, and his father, Roy O. Disney, had co-founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio seven years before, later renaming it The Walt Disney Co.

Two years before Roy E. Disney was born, the company gave birth to its iconic character, Mickey Mouse.