~ Roy E. Disney dies at 79 ~

Roy E. Disney, a longtime senior executive of the company founded by his uncle Walt and father Roy, has died at the age of 79. The Walt Disney Co. announced that Disney died Wednesday in Newport Beach, Calif., after a year-long battle with stomach cancer. Los Angeles-born Disney was a champion of the company's classic animation and helped spark a successful revival of the drawn style in the 1980s and 1990s by supporting the animation teams behind hits such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. He died 43 years, and a day after his uncle Walt's death, and 12 years exactly after his aunt's Lillian Bounds Disney's death. Disney, is survived by his wife, Leslie, four children from a previous marriage —Tim Disney, Roy Patrick Disney, Abigail Disney and Susan Disney Lord — and 16 grandchildren.