Disney In Memoriam 2024

At The Walt Disney Company, hundreds of thousands of people add a bit more magic into our daily existence.

Tragically, the circle of life dictates that some of them leave this place and go elsewhere.

So, MickeyBlog takes the opportunity each year to pay tribute to those who have provided us with a lifetime of memories.

Here’s Disney In Memoriam for 2024, a list of all those who are no longer with us.

Carl Bongirno

Disney Legend Carl Bongirno did it all during his career. He started as an accountant at Walt Disney Imagineering.

Later, Walt Disney trusted Bongirno enough to make him one of the few insiders aware of Project X, which became Walt Disney World.

After Disney’s death, Bongirno became the money person, the Treasurer at Walt Disney World.

Later, he was President of Imagineering during the construction of EPCOT and Tokyo Disneyland. His was an impacting career with a lasting legacy.

Jimmy Carter

Speaking of EPCOT, President Jimmy Carter toured the grounds of Walt Disney World during the late 1970s.

This was a coup for Disney. The sitting President visited the still-new Disney World campus and spoke with Imagineers about EPCOT.

That brief visit was one Imagineers would reference for years to come, presumably because Carter was a mythic figure in the south.

His kindness and charitable endeavors will linger in our memories, as will photos of a 90-something couple working on Habitats for Humanity.

Ray Chan

Production designer Ray Chan worked as an art director on several projects I happen to love.

The list includes the wildly underrated 2004 film, Thunderbirds, and 2006’s Children of Men, one of my top five movies of the 2000s.

Chan later worked diligently on Marvel Cinematic Universe productions like Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avengers: Endgame.

Martin Charlot

Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa is quite possibly the most beautiful of all Disney resorts.

Disney Legend Joe Rohde was placed in charge of the project and delivered a masterful hotel and campus.

Long before that happened, a gentleman named Martin Charlot taught Rohde to draw when the latter was a child in Hawaii.

Rohde brought their relationship full circle when he asked Charlot to create the memorable mural everyone notices at Aulani.

Connie Chiume

South African actress Connie Chiume is also an alumnus of the MCU.

Chiume appeared as one of the Wakandan elders in Black Panther and returned in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

This character oversaw T’Challa’s death and the coronation of Ramonda and, later, planned one for Shuri.

Michael Culver

You remember that scene where Darth Vader force-chokes a dude to death?

The actor who had the honor of playing that scene, the one who pretended like he was being strangled, was Michael Culver.

He’s one of three iconic character actors from the Holy Trilogy to die in 2024.

Maria de Aragon

Coincidentally, another one is Maria de Aragon, who you wouldn’t recognize by looking at her.

de Aragon provided the voice for Greedo, one of the most controversial characters in Star Wars history.

Greedo’s the one Han Solo shot initially, but then Greedo shot first in updated versions of the story to make Solo look more heroic.

Gail Evans

In 2022, Disney hired Gail Evans as Executive Vice President, Chief Digital and Technology Officer.

She “led a global multi-disciplinary team of digital, technology, product, data, and operation professionals focused on development, and implementation of Digital and technology strategies for Disney Experiences Businesses around the world.”

Former Imagineering leader Barbara Bouza described Evans as “a people-first innovator and advocate” in eulogizing her friend.

Carol Goldwasser

As the casting director for Hannah Montana, Goldwasser demonstrated an almost preternatural ability to hire future stars.

Miley Cyrus was obviously the most recognizable of them, but several future Disney Channel icons debuted on Hannah Montana.

This fact makes Goldwasser one of the most influential casting directors of the 21^st century.

Greg Hildebrandt

Best recognized as a Marvel artist these days, Hildebrandt was already an iconic graphic designer well before then.

Have you ever seen the original Star Wars poster from 1977? Yes, that Hildebrandt’s work.

Glynis Johns

Disney Legend Glynis Johns won a Tony and earned Golden Globes and Oscar nominations for her performances over the years.

Still, Disney fans will always remember Johns as Winifred Banks, the dedicated suffragist in Mary Poppins.

Here she is singing the Sherman Brothers classic, Sister Suffragette.  

James Earl Jones

This past year was undeniably brutal for fans of the Holy Trilogy.

I previously mentioned the Darth Vader force-choke scene, and we all know the actor who portrayed Vader.

Yes, he’s the same man who voiced Mufasa in The Lion King.

This performance proved so iconic that the character’s prequel is currently the number one film in America as I type this.

Few performers can legitimately stake a claim to being the greatest living actor.

James Earl Jones was definitely one of them at the time of his death.

An EGOT winner, Jones started his career in the mid-1950s and was still performing in the 2020s.

Jones also authorized the use of his voice for future Star Wars stories.

So, we’ll always have Darth Vader. But I’m sure going to miss James Earl Jones.

Bonnye Lear

A revered manager at Disneyland’s Club 33, Lear was renowned for her kindness and professionalism.

She was performing some of her daily duties when an unspeakable tragedy unfolded backstage at Disneyland.

Lear fell from a moving golf cart, landing awkwardly on her head.

The blow proved fatal, making this one of the most tragic Cast Member incidents in Disneyland history.

A GoFundMe remains active for Lear’s family if you’d like to contribute.

John Landau

Best known as director James Cameron’s trusted ally, Landau produced three of the four most successful films ever.

The producer worked on Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water.

Last January, Landau generated headlines by appearing at Walt Disney Imagineering.

Fans excitedly wondered aloud about the previously announced Avatar experience coming to Disneyland Resort.

Landau’s presence suggested a larger Avatar presence than previously expected.

Sadly, Landau won’t live to see it come to fruition. Cameron did honor his friend during the 2024 D23 Expo, though.

Linda Lavin

Best known for her work on the long-running television series Alice, Lavin portrayed the title character.

Due to her breakout success on Rhoda and Barney Miller, Lavin earned her starring role on the popular sitcom.

She’d continue to work in comedy for the rest of her career, up to and including the upcoming Hulu series, Mid-Century Modern.

The series was on a mini-break, with Lavin having filmed ten of the 13 episodes.

So, we’ll get to enjoy her impeccable comic timing one more time.

Angus MacInnes

Here’s another age-related Star Wars death, which makes a certain level of sense for a film that debuted 48 years ago.

Angus MacInnes portrayed Gold Leader in Star Wars. Notably, he also returned for an appearance in the most recent trilogy.

Disney used special effects to show the younger version of the character, but MacInnes voiced the role.

Tony McFarr

You may not know McFarr’s name, but you’ve watched him quite a bit over the past decade.

McFarr appeared as Chris Pratt’s body double in numerous MCU titles and even Jurassic World films.

The duo were close off-camera, and Pratt remembered him fondly on social media.

Pratt said this of his friend: “He was an absolute stud. He was always a gentleman and professional.”

Kent Melton

Here’s another anonymous hero of Disney storytelling.

Melton had the unenviable task of converting two-dimensional drawings into three-dimensional creatures via the creation of maquettes.

A master of his craft, Melton brought to life Disney characters in films such as The Lion King, Pocahontas, Hercules, Tarzan, and Mulan.

Kenneth Mitchell

Character actor Kenneth Mitchell is perhaps best known for his lead role on the television series, Jericho.

However, Disney fans know him as the actor who portrayed Carol Danvers’s father in Captain Marvel.

He also appeared in the inspirational Disney sports movie, Miracle, as Ralph Cox, the last player cut from the American Olympic team.

Chris Mortensen

ESPN fans have watched Chris Mortensen for many years now, but I loved him long before that.

Mortensen gained his reputation as an NFL insider when he worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I religiously read his team reports on the Atlanta Falcons and was thrilled to watch him join ESPN’s staff in 1991.

Since then, Mortensen broke more stories than anyone in the history of the channel, and I include Adam Schefter in that.

Tragically, Mortensen suffered throat cancer, which made his later appearances on ESPN a heroic demonstration of mental and physical fortitude.

Ana Ophelia Murguia

A heralded Mexican actress, Murguia began her career in 1968 and worked steadily throughout the remainder of the 20^th century.

However, modern Disney fans will remember her for her voicework in an instant classic.

Murguia voiced the titular (Mama) Coco in the 2017 Pixar film.

Bob Newhart

As much as I adore James Earl Jones – and I really, really do – Bob Newhart is my favorite celebrity on this list.

I wasn’t even a big fan of either of his television series, Newhart or The Bob Newhart Show. It was more that I loved his comic timing.

The comedian’s stumbling delivery somehow made each and every punchline feel that much more devastating.

Newhart also contributed mightily to Disney’s animated stories from 1977-1990. He voiced Bernard in The Rescuers franchise. 

Kay Pech

If you love Disney theme park music, you partially have Kay Pech to thank.

Pech delighted fans as the principal violinist for the Disneyland Orchestra for 43 (!) years.

That’s a LOT of It’s a Small World performances.

Ken Page

Before working for Disney, Page earned his reputation as Old Deuteronomy in Cats.

Despite his impactful Broadway role, Disney fans will remember him for a different project, though.

This Broadway performer proudly proclaimed himself the Boogie Man in one of Disney’s most beloved films.

That’s right. Ken Page voiced Oogie Boogie in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. He’s iconic.

Don Perlin

Have you seen Moon Knight on Disney+? If the answer is no, what are you waiting for? Seriously, it’s grrrreat!

Well, any fan of Moon Knight has Perlin to thank. The Marvel artist created the character.

Peter Renaday

Actor Peter Renaday did it all in Hollywood while managing to bookend his career with Disney projects.

Renaday co-starred in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, The Million Dollar Duck, and The Shaggy D.A.

Along the way, Renaday was among the first actors to get into voicework, and that’s probably how you know him.

Renaday voices President Lincoln at Hall of Presidents and Henry and Max in Country Bear Jamboree.

As a voice actor, he also breathed life into characters in Aristocats, The Rescuers, and Mulan, too. Disney owes a LOT to the late Renaday.

Chita Rivera

This Broadway actress earned some of the most prestigious awards in the industry such as the Kennedy Center Honor and a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Rivera got her start in the principal cast of Guys and Dolls. She was 17 at the time, reinforcing what a prodigy she was.

From then through her 91^st birthday, Rivera worked steadily in iconic works like West Side Story and Chicago.

But Disney fans love Rivera for her frequent appearances as the Celebrity Narrator for the Candlelight Processional.

We’ll always have memories like this one to remind us of Rivera’s excellence:

Howard Roland

In 1971, Walt Disney World opened with two official hotels, Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

Roland was the one who populated the hotels with their opening day décor. That’s not an exaggeration.

According to a peer, “(Roland) bought everything – the carpeting, the wallpaper, any kind of decorations that went into the hotels.”

So, the next time you’re visiting one of these monorail resorts, please think fondly of the late executive.

Alan Sacks

Best known as the co-creator of Welcome Back, Kotter (google it, kids), Sacks is a legit industry legend as a producer.

Eventually, Sacks’s long and winding career led him to Disney, where he had a hand in the creation of many projects.

We’re talking Camp Rock, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, Pixel Perfect, and Smart House.

Howie Schwab

Here’s an absolute legend behind the scenes at ESPN.

As you might imagine, interns often earned jobs by proving their arcane sports knowledge.

One person rose above the rest, a seemingly all-knowing machine of facts and trivia.

His name was Howie Schwab, and he demonstrated such casual excellence that ESPN gave him a quiz show.

You can watch Stump the Schwab videos on YouTube and realize just how knowledgeable this man was:

Richard Sherman

Musician Robert Sherman died in 2012 at the age of 86. His younger brother, Richard, would outlive him by a dozen years.

Musician Richard Sherman lived until the impressive age of 95, and that gave him plenty of time to be celebrated by others.

Jointly known as the Sherman Brothers, this duo redefined Disney theme parks thanks to their stylish music and catchy lyrics.

Best known for It’s a Small World, the Shermans also wrote There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow and One Little Spark.

So, the duo will have an eternal presence at Disney parks because of their timeless music.

William “Sully” Sullivan

I’ll leave this evaluation to Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro, who said the following of Sully:

“Few people have contributed as much to Disney theme parks as Bill Sullivan.

“His personal connection with Walt Disney and his incredible career spanning multiple decades and several destinations helped pass along Disney heritage to generations of cast members and guests around the world.”

Sullivan was one of the 90 million people who watched the opening day proceedings at Disneyland Resort.

At that moment, Sully found his calling in life. He literally, not figuratively, quit his job and got a job at Disney the next week.

Some people are just born to be Disney Legends. Within a few years, Sully worked as Assistant Manager for Disney’s 1964 New York World’s Fair attractions.

Later, Sully was one of the people responsible for bringing Walt Disney World to life. He’s an icon of Disney parks and attractions.

Bill Walton

ABC and ESPN NBA broadcasts never failed to entertain when Big Red provided the color commentary.

I imagine the nickname never made sense to the younger crowd, as his curly hair turned grey at a preternaturally early age.

Walton had already lived several lifetimes by then, as he’s one of the great cult heroes of professional sports.

One of the most heavily recruited college athletes ever, Walton chose UCLA and legendary coach John Wooden.

This decision changed Walton’s life, as he adopted many of his coach’s best qualities.

Along the way, Walton also became Player of the Year three straight times while leading his team to an unprecedented 88-win streak.

Walton’s NBA started with a title, but perennial injuries prevented him from being the greatest of all-time, which he could have been.

The Grateful Dead fan took his misfortunes in stride, embracing all that life had given him and using it to spin colorful stories on live broadcasts.

In case it’s not readily apparent, I adored Bill Walton, who is an award-winning biopic waiting to happen.

Bill Warren

Over the last two years, we discussed the Reedy Creek Improvement District frequently for various reasons.

Someone who knew the district well was former Disney executive Bill Warren.

As the Vice President of Government Relations, Warren gladhanded Florida officials to make sure Disney received its due.

Later, before Reedy Creek became a political lightning rod, Disney chose Warren to work as its District Administrator.

So, he was integral to many of Walt Disney World’s 21^st century improvements. He did all the hidden stuff to keep the monorail running on time.

Robert Watts

Like Jon Landau, you may not know Robert Watts’ name, but you’re fully aware of his work.

To an extent, Watts was the Landau to George Lucas. As Landau produced Cameron’s films, Watts did the same for Lucas.

So, Watts holds prestigious producer credits for the Holy Trilogy of Star Wars as well as the first three Indiana Jones films.

Watts has another Disney credit as well. He produced Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Carl Weathers

For an older generation of movie-goers, Carl Weathers will forever be Apollo Creed, a villain who became a hero and then a tragic figure.

Weathers elevated the character so much that the Creed spinoff franchise has already led to three films and counting.

The actor later demonstrated his mischievous side as a penny-pinching caricature of himself on Arrested Development.

More recently, Disney+ fans know Weathers as Greef Karga in The Mandalorian.

I suspect the actor’s death may lead to a plot point in the upcoming movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu.

Weathers was one of the most affable people in Hollywood and a former Oakland Raider to boot.

George Wilkins

This was a tough year for Disney musical legends. In addition to Sherman, fans also lost George Wilkins.

Here’s someone else whose name you might know, but his music has put a song in your heart for many years.

Wilkins was responsible for the music at several Walt Disney World attractions such as Horizons, Listen to the Land, and Space Mountain.

Walt Disney Imagineering knew Wilkins as its “composer in residence” and musical director.

Wilkins even pinch-hit for the Shermans on one occasion. After Disney passed on their version of the music on Horizons, Wilkins created the perfect tune.

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