Walt Disney nephew Roy Disney dies at 79

Roy Disney, nephew of Walt Disney Co. founder Walt Disney and a longtime executive for the company, died on Wednesday at 79.

Walt Disney Co. said he died at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, California. Disney had been ill with stomach cancer, the company said.

Disney was born in Los Angeles and began working in the 1950s for the company founded by his uncle and his father. He is best known for leading a shareholder revolt to remove former chairman and CEO Michael Eisner, who stepped down in 2005.

At the time of his death, Disney owned over 16 million shares or about one percent of the company’s total outstanding common shares but had no direct role in running the giant media company. He served as a consultant for Disney and a director emeritus for the board of directors.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb, Sue Zeidler and Gina Keating, Editing by Sandra Maler)

Reuters