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| Diane Disney inspired Disneyland theme park. Photo: Courtesy |
The eldest daughter of Walt Disney, Diane Disney Miller, who inspired him to build the first Disneyland theme park, has died aged 79.
The Walt Disney Co confirmed she died at her California home on Tuesday, due to complications from a fall.
The company's CEO Robert Iger said she would be remembered for "her grace and generosity and tireless work to preserve her father's legacy".
Miller founded the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco in 2009.
"As the beloved daughter of Walt Disney and one of his inspirations for creating Disneyland, she holds a special place in the history of The Walt Disney Co and in the hearts of fans everywhere," said Iger in a statement.
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Miller was born to Walt and Lillian Disney on 18 December, 1933 and, the next day, The Los Angeles Times declared: "Mickey Mouse has a daughter."
She remembered her father as a man who was caring and patient with his children.
"He'd take me and my sister Sharon to the merry-go-round at Griffith Park and stand there all day waiting until we were ready to go," she told the San Francisco Chronicle in 1998.
"As he stood there, he kept thinking there should be more for parents and children to do together, and the idea for Disneyland was born."
Diane and her younger sister Sharon were the inspirations for the Disneyland theme park
Miller is survived by her husband, Ronald, who owns the Silverado Vineyards Winery in Napa Valley, as well as seven children and 13 grandchildren. Her younger sister, Sharon, died of cancer in 1993.
- BBC
