Walt Disney's nephew Roy dies, aged 79

Roy E. Disney died today after his long battle with stomach cancer came to an end.

The Walt Disney Company announced that Walt's nephew succumed to his illness at his home in Newport Beach, CA.

He is best known for being unafraid to shake up the firm his father Roy and uncle helped build. He led two successful shareholder revolts: one in 1984 against Walt's son-in-law Ron Miller, after concluding that he was leading the company astray, and the second against Michael Eisner, who he helped bring in.

Roy oversaw hits such as The Lion King as vice chairman of Disney's board of directors and chairman of its animation division. Two short films he was involved in nabbed Academy Awards. The first was 1959's Mysteries of the Deep, which he co-wrote, and the second was 2003's Destino, which he co-produced.

In 2007, Forbes magazine ranked him as the 754th richest person in the world and estimated his fortune at $1.3bn (£897m). In 2005, he pledged $10m (£6.1m) to establish the Roy and Patricia Disney Cancer Centre at Providence St. Joseph Medical Centre in Burbank.