Disney In Memoriam 2022
Each year, The Walt Disney Company mourns the loss of countless impactful contributors to the company’s legacy.
The circle of life proved particularly impactful in 2022, as we lost several notable celebrities, Imagineers, and other Disney icons.
The 2022 In Memoriam could cause a few tears to be shed. Here are the marvelous people we’ve lost over the past 12 months.
Louie Anderson
Comedian Louie Anderson entertained audiences for more than 40 years.
In fact, Anderson’s own odd upbringing inspired his semi-autobiographical children’s show Life with Louie. He later hosted Family Feud as well.
Disney fans will remember him for his inspirational appearance on Splash, wherein he overcame his fear of heights to do some impressive dives into the deep end of the pool.
Anderson died at the age of 68, which led to this tweet from a friend:
This photo is very sad now. RIP Bob Saget and RIP Louie Anderson. Both good friends that will be missed. pic.twitter.com/DLJ8Ntt7LN
— Gilbert Gottfried (@RealGilbert) January 21, 2022
You may already recognize how bittersweet this image is. As we’re about to discuss, we lost all three of these comedians in 2022.
Joanna Barnes
In The Parent Trap, Mitch Evers narrowly avoids marrying the wrong woman thanks to the interference of two tween girls.
That woman, Vicky Robinson, only liked Evers for his money and planned to send his daughter to boarding school after the wedding.
So, while you may not know the name Joanna Barnes, if you’ve watched the original version of The Parent Trap, you definitely remember the wicked Vicky Robinson!
Barnes also appeared in the 1998 movie remake as a different character, Vicki Blake, which I always thought was a nice touch.
Stephen “tWitch” Boss
This heartbreaking news came out while MickeyBlog was assembling this year’s list.
The co-host of Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, Boss appeared on the show with his wife, Allison Holker.
The reality television superstar died too young at the age of 40. And you probably don’t want to google the depressing details of his death.
James Caan
Worldwide audiences will always remember Caan for his unforgettable portrayal of Sonny Corleone in The Godfather franchise.
However, Caan once worked for Disney as well. He co-starred in the high-profile film Dick Tracy as Spuds Spaldoni.
While the movie failed to live up to its Batman-like expectations, everyone raved about Caan’s work. He was a pro’s pro as an actor.
PS: If you ever come across re-runs of Caan on a show called Las Vegas, he’s terrific in it.
Colin Cantwell
Here’s another name you may not know offhand. Colin Cantwell has impacted pop culture profoundly, though.
This designer created the TIE Fighter and Death Star looks that are so famous today.
Cantwell’s sci-fi bona fides are otherworldly, as he also worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and WarGames.
Pat Carroll
This actress lived for 95 years and first worked in film in 1948.
For this reason, it’s so wildly improbable that her most memorable role wouldn’t arrive until 1989 when she was already 67 years old.
That year, Carroll provided the voice of Ursula in The Little Mermaid and, well, you know.
Carroll breathed life into one of the greatest Disney villainesses ever. We are all in her debt for the joy (and fear) she brought us.
Tim Considine
Disney Legend Tim Considine became one of the company’s first child actor stars of the 1950s.
Considine appeared in The Adventures of Spin and Marty, which played during episodes of The Mickey Mouse Club.
Considine also co-starred in The Hardy Boys as Joe Hardy, and he co-starred with Fred MacMurray in the Disney classic, The Shaggy Dog.
Kal David
You may not know the name, but I guarantee you know the voice.
The blues musician provides the voice of Sonny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café.
Whenever you dine there, the Audio-Animatronic’s sounds come from Kal David!
Alice Davis
As far as Disney Legends go, there aren’t any bigger than Alice Davis.
The beloved costume designer perfected the look and style of the dolls at It’s a Small World. D23 refers to her as “the original designing woman.”
Davis, who married another Disney Legend, Marc Davis, loved to recount the story of her follow-up job to It’s a Small World. She designed the outfits for Pirates of the Caribbean.
As she told the story, “I went from sweet little children to dirty old men over night.”
She was a VERY funny woman, and her work has stood the test of time.
Davis died at the age of 83, 10 years after Disney honored her with a window on Main Street, U.S.A.
Fittingly, her window resides next to her husband’s. They are joined together forever at Disneyland.
It is with great sadness to hear of the passing of Disney Legend Alice Davis. To the world, Alice Estes Davis was best known for her work as a costume designer. To us, Alice was an inspiring collaborator, kind-hearted benefactor, and cherished friend. https://t.co/pOARKoMZEz pic.twitter.com/pbgPxFAFy3
— The Walt Disney Family Museum (@WDFMuseum) November 4, 2022
Ralph Eggleston
Many of the people we’re discussing have lived rich, full lives. Others died too soon or in tragic circumstances or both.
In the case of Ralph Eggleston, I can state confidently that you loved his work. The director earned an Academy Award for his short film, For the Birds.
Alas, he suffered from cancer and died this year at the age of 56. He had worked on pretty much all your favorite Pixar films. I’m not even joking.
Pixar has already announced that its upcoming release, Elemental, will be dedicated to Eggleston’s memory.
Gary Friedkin
Here’s another name you may not know. Friedkin played one of the Ewoks in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
The actor also appeared in a memorable three-part story arc on Happy Days and had roles on ABC’s The Practice and the animated movie, Cool World.
Gilbert Gottfried
The final living member of the trio shown in the tweet above, Gottfried joined his friends in the great beyond in April 2022. He was 67.
Remarkably, all of them died within three months (and a few days) of one another.
While Gottfried is famous for any number of reasons, Disney fans will always love him best for voicing Iago in Aladdin.
Tiffini Hale
Here’s someone who died at the end of 2021 but after we had published our 2021 In Memoriam.
As such, we’d be remiss if we failed to mention Tiffini Hale, one of the anchor Mouseketeers of The All New Mickey Mouse Club.
We’re talking about the legendary cast that included Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, and Keri Russell.
Hale was the centerpiece of that group, underscoring her talent.
Sadly, her music and film career never developed the same way as her co-stars, although she did have a hit song with her band, The Party.
Estelle Harris
Television audiences with always associate Estelle Harris with her role as George Costanza’s mother on Seinfeld.
However, Disney fans will mourn her as the voice behind the delightful Mrs. Potato Head in the Toy Story franchise.
If you miss Ms. Harris, you should watch some of her work on YouTube.
She was once called the Queen of Commercials because she appeared in so many during the 1970s and 1980s.
William Hurt
This actor had already won an Academy Award long before he joined the MCU.
Still, a new generation of Disney fans will always know him best as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in the MCU.
Hurt’s health had deteriorated in recent years, and he knew he was dying.
The Apple TV+ series, Mythic Quest, wrote his health issues into an episode where he appeared as a dying man. It’s worth a watch if you have the time.
Billy Kametz
Here’s someone who was Disney through and through.
Voice actor Billy Kametz got his start as a performer on – I kid you not – Disney Cruise Line.
Kametz portrayed Aladdin in Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular.
Later, Kametz transitioned into voice work with another Disney production, Marvel Avengers Academy, where he played Thor, among others.
Alas, his ascending stardom got derailed by a tragic fate. Kametz received a cancer diagnosis, which caused him to retire and move back home to spend his final months with family.
Kametz was only 35 years old.
Angela Lansbury
Yes, Beauty and the Beast fans, I’m sorry to say that Mrs. Potts is no longer with us.
Legendary actress Angela Lansbury died at the age of 96. She earned her first Academy Award nomination in 1944 for Alfred Hitchcock’s Gaslight.
Perhaps more stunningly, Lansbury’s third and final nomination occurred in 1962.
A few years later, Lansbury did the unlikely and switched to Disney comedies, a rarity for a serious actress at the time.
Audiences lapped up every scene of Bedknobs and Broomsticks, though. It became one of the actress’s most memorable and enduring roles.
Afterward, she switched to television, where she starred in Murder, She Wrote, one of the most successful series ever.
In one of those strange, unbelievable twists, Lansbury won in two of the EGOT categories.
However, she failed to win an Emmy despite 18 nominations, which is simply impossible to believe.
She also lacked a Grammy, although she was nominated for it as well…for Beauty and the Beast!
In short, everyone revered Lansbury for her talent…but none adored her more than Disney fans, who will always love her as a singing teapot.
Ray Liotta
Obviously, nothing about Ray Liotta screams Disney. Still, the actor’s passing bears mention here because he happened to love Disney.
For this reason, Liotta worked for the studio in live-action projects like Operation Dumbo Drop and as a voice actor on Phineas & Ferb.
Liotta even appeared as a character in Hannah Montana!
Ron Logan
This Disney Legend reinvented live entertainment at the theme parks.
Logan worked on popular shows like Fantasmic!, the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, and Festival of the Lion King.
The performer started working for Disney as a trumpeter and met Walt Disney himself on several occasions.
Uncle Walt took a shine to Logan and ensured that the musician found work at the 1960 Winter Olympics.
Eighteen years later, Walt Disney World lured him from California to become the Music Director for all Florida Disney operations.
Logan also produced five different Super Bowl shows. He was a fascinating, accomplished individual.
Loretta Lynn and Olivia Newton-John
I won’t lie. Record-setting musician Loretta Lynn’s connection to Disney is tenuous at best.
She appeared once as a guest on the 1970s version of The Muppet Show, and that’s about it.
However, 1) she was Loretta Lynn! and 2) Disney owns The Muppets now. So, I’m counting it…mainly because it’s Christmas.
Loretta Lynn is my mother’s all-time favorite, and she’d lock the doors on me if I didn’t mention the passing of her favorite artist. And I need my holiday banana pudding fix.
Along these lines, Olivia Newton-John also died this year. Like Lynn, her primary Disney connection was a Muppets appearance.
So, we lost two extraordinary musicians whom Disney really should have hired for more stuff.
Tom Murphy
Here’s perhaps the finest example of a wildly impactful Disney contributor whose name you don’t know.
Murphy built up all the companies that Disney acquired in 1995 as Capital Cities/ABC.
This purchase enabled Disney to run a network television channel along with a cable channel, ESPN.
Almost as importantly, Murphy mentored one of his proteges in the art of big business. That gentleman, Bob Iger, has done pretty well for himself.
Murphy proved so skilled at the media business that he turned a company with a share value of $5.75 into one worth $12,000. And he passed down that knowledge to Iger.
Mickey Rooney Jr.
No, this isn’t the more famous Mickey Rooney. It’s his child actor son of the same name.
The younger Rooney’s claim to fame is that he was a Mouseketeer…right up until Disney fired him for “Conduct Unbecoming a Mouse.” That’s a real thing that happened.
Bob Saget
January of 2022 started harshly for Disney fans when this beloved comedian died on January 9th at the age of 65.
Best known for his work on Full House, Saget also hosted ABC’s America’s Funniest Home Videos at a time when it was the most popular TV show in the world.
In a remarkable twist, the news leaked of Saget’s death during an episode of the series, which still runs to this day.
ABC cut into the live broadcast to announce the death of the show’s former host.
Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero
You may not know the name, but you know the story. This 109-year-old woman inspired the grandmotherly matriarch character in Pixar’s Coco.
Yes, Mama Coco lived a rich, full life, and her death proved so significant to her people that the Secretary of Tourism for Michoacan announced her death.
Behold the remarkable resemblance in the film:
Remember her. 🤍 Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero, the woman who reportedly inspired Pixar's Mama Coco, has passed away at the age of 109. https://t.co/8bF91OGfic pic.twitter.com/8cLZHnYE8q
— E! News (@enews) October 17, 2022
Paul Sorvino
This was a rough year for the Goodfellas. In addition to Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino also passed away.
Like James Caan, Sorvino’s strongest Disney connection comes from Dick Tracy. In that film, the actor portrayed Lips Manlis.
Based on the exceptional casting, you kinda have to wonder why that film underperformed at the box office.
Anyway, Sorvino’s more lasting Disney work occurred in The Rocketeer, where he played one of the antagonists, Eddie Valentine.
Will Spence
This former American Idol contestant had his life cut tragically short due to a car accident. Will Spence was 23.
Thankfully, his musical gift lives on. Here’s a performance of Circle of Life from Disney Night:
Alex Stromski
If you’ve dined at Pinocchio’s Village Haus, you might have encountered Alex Stromski over the years.
The military veteran switched his Naval call sign of Stop Sign to a Disney one of Gepetto.
The popular cast member loved Disney so much that took a job at the restaurant and drove 170 miles round trip for each shift.
For his dedication, Stromski earned The Walt Disney Legacy Award. And he offered some advice to anyone in need.
“Ask yourself this question: Will it matter 50 years from now?”
Alex Stromski was a wise man.
David Warner
Typecasting is real in Hollywood, especially when you’re truly great at something.
In the case of David Warner, the late actor could portray a terrifying, formidable villain in pretty much any role.
For this reason, he wound up as the bad guy in films like Time Bandits, Time After Time, and even Titanic.
In fact, Disney fans know him best as multiple versions of the same villain in Tron.
Warner was an absolute master of his craft. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, you owe it to yourself to stream some of these excellent films.
Betty White
I mean, she was Betty White. Celebrities don’t become any more iconic than this remarkable woman.
In fact, White’s among the most impressive talents in Hollywood history.
She’s basically self-made, creating her own talk show star vehicle at a time when the very notion seemed impossible for a woman in a shamefully sexist industry. That never stopped her, though.
White was already famous by the age of 27 and legitimately entertained audiences worldwide for more than 70 years.
Technically, she died on New Year’s Eve 2021, but it happened just after we published last year’s In Memoriam.
We weren’t about to overlook White’s storied career due to a technicality!
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Feature Photo: Vincent Sandoval