Roy Edward Disney, son of Disney Studios co-founder Roy O. Disney, and nephew of Walt Disney, has died in Newport Beach, California, US, following a year-long battle with stomach cancer. Born in Los Angeles in January 1930, he was 79 years old.

Disney played a key role in the revitalisation of The Walt Disney Company and Disney's animation legacy. He was associated with the company over a 56-year period and - from 1984-2003 - served as vice chair of the company's board of directors, and chair of the studio's animation department. In recent years, he held the title of director emeritus and consultant for the company.

As head of Disney Animation, Disney helped to guide the Studio to a new age of animation with a string of successes that included The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King.

He personally executive produced Fantasia/2000, a sequel to the 1940 Disney classic, and served in a similar capacity on a number of recent animated shorts, including the 2004 Oscar-nominated Destino, based on storyboards and original art by the artist Salvador Dali.

In the area of live-action films, Disney and his wife, Leslie DeMeuse Disney, most recently executive produced the 2008 feature documentary, Morning Light, which followed a group of young sailors as they competed in the grueling Transpac race from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

His philanthropic activities included sponsorship of the Roy E. Disney Center for the Performing Arts at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center, part of Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, is scheduled to open in spring 2010.