Former chairman of Walt Disney Attractions and Disney Legend Dick Nunis has passed aged 91

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Dick Nunis

Posted: Wednesday December 13, 2023 3:32pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney Legend Dick Nunis, the former chairman of Walt Disney Attractions, passed away December 13 surrounded by his family in his adopted hometown of Orlando, a family friend confirmed. He was 91.

Dick Nunis

“Today, we mourn the passing of Dick Nunis, a true Disney Legend whose contributions to The Walt Disney Company have touched the lives of millions of people all over the world,” said Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “What started as a summer job training future Disneyland employees would ultimately become a storied 44-year career at Disney. Dick took the values and philosophies he learned directly from Walt and incorporated them into everything he did at Disney. We are grateful for his many achievements and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones.”

Dick Nunis

“On behalf of every Cast Member, Crew Member, Imagineer and employee of Disney Experiences, I want to express my gratitude to Disney Legend Dick Nunis… and my condolences to his family following the sad news of his passing,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences. “Dick’s impact on our theme parks business is everlasting. Along with our founder, Walt Disney, Dick helped shape our business, create happiness for millions of families around the world… and set a standard that an entire industry must now live up to.”

Learn more about Dick Nunis and his incredible contributions to The Walt Disney Company.

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CompedDec 15, 2023

That doesn't even talk about his work in getting Disney to support Mr. Rosen's work in bringing one of the top three hospitality schools in the world to fruition. From what I know about it he was his usual forceful self in that regard...

alphac2005Dec 15, 2023

UCF put together a very nice piece about Mr. Nunis. As a proud alumni of the university, who has seen it transform from a commuter school to major university, his footprint of impact goes well beyond WDW in Central Florida. https://www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-mourns-the-loss-of-long-time-supporter-dick-nunis/

FettFanDec 15, 2023

Aye. Disney Legends is now more of a marketing gimmick for the latest Disney Thing.

disneyC97Dec 14, 2023

I had read these years ago...thanks for posting. Really shows you what WDW used to be like.

Horizons '83Dec 14, 2023

100% agree, although his methods may not be accepted now, he is without a doubt one of the best that "got it done" when deadlines were approaching.

brb1006Dec 14, 2023

Modern Disney needs more people like Nunis.

HauntedPirateDec 14, 2023

Don’t even get me started… A sad day for Disney theme park fans. 😢

CompedDec 14, 2023

He was literally the one I was thinking of when I originally posted. Does not deserve it at all. Some of the Frozen folks maybe, but at that point it's a dark, dizzy, merry-go-round, to reference perhaps an even more iconic show a certain VA from that film was in, of justifications that could fit a lot of other people and seemingly are the new justifications for whoever they want.

Tha RealestDec 14, 2023

salvage the wave machine and fire up that bad boy one last time

Tha RealestDec 14, 2023

They have to get in line behind Anthony Anderson and the voice casts from Frozen

imagineer97Dec 14, 2023

What a loss! Dick Nunis knew how to run Disney Parks. Josh would do well to learn from his example.

the.dreamfinderDec 13, 2023

Michael Crawford on Dick Nunis https://progresscityusa.com/2023/12/13/dick-nunis-1932-2023/

CompedDec 13, 2023

And there are very few of those relative to the number of Disney Legends there are. Would have been nice if it wasn't published by Disney so things weren't sanitized. But I personally have heard how much many of his former co-workers had to fight to get him to even write one... So perhaps things could be excused.

christine7257Dec 13, 2023

If you haven't yet had the chance to read his book, Walt's Apprentice: Keeping the Disney Dream Alive, I highly recommend it. Full of great stories. I was lucky enough to meet him briefly earlier this year and hear a couple of the stories from him directly. Truly incredible career with quite a legacy.