Category Archives: Obituaries

Diane Disney Miller Passes Away

Walt Disney and DaughtersIt is with great sadness that we report the passing of Walt Disney’s oldest daughter, Diane Disney Miller. Diane was born to Walt and Lillian Disney in 1933. She passed away at the age of 79 from injuries sustained in a fall. Diane is survived by her husband Ron W. Miller, seven children, 13 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Song of the South, Diane recollected, “…was a film [Walt] really wanted to do. My dad quoted so much from Uncle Remus’ logic and philosophy.”

We extend our sincere condolences to the Miller family, and thank Diane for everything she accomplished to carry on the legacy of her father. Diane was instrumental in the creation of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA and the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, CA. She will be missed.

Roy Disney Passes Away at Age 79

Today marks a very sad day: Roy E. Disney, nephew of Walt Disney, passed away at the age of 79 after fighting a year-long battle with stomach cancer.

Roy made headlines in 2003 when he and Stanley Gold stepped down from Disney’s board of directors and launched SaveDisney.com. SaveDisney.com was a wonderful web site filled with many well written articles, including several on Song of the South. Through his efforts and the voices of many unhappy shareholders, CEO Michael Eisner was effectively ousted in 2005. Roy later returned to Disney as “Director Emeritus”.

Some long-time readers may also remember my February 14, 2004 article in which Roy Disney expressed to me his support for the release of Song of the South. “Song of the South … happens to be one of my favorite of the old Disney films…. [Releasing] it would be one of my first acts if I were to come back to the company!” Sadly, he never got to see this come to fruition. Roy, you will be greatly missed by all.

Ollie Johnston, Last of Disney’s “Nine Old Men”, Passes Away

Ollie Johnston, the last surviving member of Disney’s “Nine Old Men”, passed away Monday at age 95. He died of natural causes at a long-term care facility in Sequim, Washington.

Besides being a Directing Animator for Song of the South, Ollie worked on numerous other Disney films, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Bambi, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, Robin Hood and The Rescuers.

We will miss you, Ollie! Thank you for all the wonderful films I was fortunate to grow up with.

Jesse Cryor, Singing Voice of Brer Rabbit, Passes Away

I was recently contacted by Jesse Cryor’s granddaughter with the following sad news:

“I’m sending this email out to let you know that my grandfather, Jesse Cryor passed away this Wednesday past (January 11, 2006). He was 99 years old and still walking, talking, remembering, reading the paper, and writing and revising songs in his head up to the last week of his life. he was still singing up until he could no longer form his mouth to talk – about 2 days before death. i’m sure he was on stage performing long after that.

“His sense of humor was alive and intact, even on his death bed. Along with him he took a wellspring of information because there was no way for him to remember it all. But, his legacy will never die. He was a good man – a good human being – who with liberal, forward-thinking ideas about the world. He continued to advise many a young soul about the ways of life, the world and, of course, music and the business.”

Jesse Cryor performed the singing voice of Brer Rabbit. My sincere condolances go out to Jesse’s family. I would also encourage everyone to read Kimberley’s moving letter she sent to me in 2003 regarding her grandfather.

Ruth Warrick, “Sally” in Song of the South, Passes Away

Very sadly, Ruth Warrick passed away on January 15 at the age of 88. She was the last known surviving actress fromSong of the South.

Ruth Warrick’s film debut was in the 1941 masterpiece Citizen Kane as Emily Norton Kane. She went on to perform in several other movies throughout the 1940’s and early 1950’s, including Sally in Song of the South. On TV, she was perhaps best known as Phoebe from the soap opera All My Children.

To Ms. Warrick, Song of the South would always be “a very special movie.” She was saddened by the fact that the movie had not been released, and felt that the movie was “probably one of [Disney’s] crowning points.” She will be greatly missed.

Peggy DeCastro, Vocalist in Song of the South, Passes Away

Peggy DeCastro, eldest of the Latina singing trio the DeCastro Sisters, known for the 1950s hit recording of “Teach Me Tonight,” passed away at the age of 82. DeCastro died March 6 in Las Vegas of lung cancer, said the trio’s manager, Alan Eichler.

The sisters – Peggy, Cherie and Babette – were known as “the Cuban Andrews Sisters” and gained fame with a flamboyant nightclub act in Cuba. They also sang on a Cuban radio station owned by their father.

After the family moved to Miami in 1945, the girls became students of Brazilian singing star Carmen Miranda, who put them in her motion picture, “Copacabana.” They also provided many of the bird and animal voices in Walt Disney’s “Song of the South.”

Glenn Leedy, Toby in Song of the South, Passes Away

Glenn Leedy Allen, Sr., the talented individual who played Toby in Song of the South, has passed away on April 19, 2004 in Imperial Valley, CA at the age of 68.

At age 7, while on the playground of the Booker T. Washington school in Phoenix, AZ (the city where much of Song of the South was filmed), a talent scout from the Walt Disney movie studios discovered and recruited him for the role of Toby in Song of the South. He excelled at the role, and even ran up to Walt Disney during the filming and asked him, “Am I colossal, Mr. Disney?” Reassured, he went on to perform what the 1946 pressbook described as “one of the brightest performances of the picture.” Mr. Allen, you will be greatly missed.

For visitation, services, and burial information, please see the obituary.
For more biographical information on Glenn, please see his biography page.

Song of the South Writer Maurice Rapf Passes Away

Sadly, on April 15, Maurice Rapf passed away at the age of 88. Rapf, along with Dalton Reymond and Morton Grant, were the creators of Song of the South‘s screenplay. Rapf was a well-known screenwriter, co-founder of the Writer’s Guild of America, and professor emeritus of Dartmouth College’s film studies department. He will be missed. (Thanks to Mark Kratzner for the report.)

Bill Peet, Song of the South Writer, Passes Away

Today, sadly, Bill Peet passed away at age 87. Peet, along with Ralph Wright and George (Vernon) Stallings, wrote the cartoon storyline for Song of the South. Bill was one of the “Nine Old Men”. His other works included Dumbo, Cinderella, Alice In Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, and 101 Dalmatians. He will be missed. Thanks to Charles Luna for this report.