Roger Allers, co-director of “The Lion King,” has died at age 76.

The Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger remembered Allers in a social media post on Sunday.

“Roger Allers was a creative visionary whose many contributions to Disney will live on for generations to come,” Iger shared in a statement posted to Instagram.

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“He understood the power of great storytelling – how unforgettable characters, emotion, and music can come together to create something timeless. His work helped define an era of animation that continues to inspire audiences around the world, and we are deeply grateful for everything he gave to Disney,” Iger’s statement continued, finishing, “Our hearts are with his family, friends, and collaborators.”

Beyond 1994’s The Lion King, Allers worked on several Disney classics, Tron, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and more, helping to oversea the renaissance in Disney animation.

Allers’ Disney colleague Dave Bossert shared news of Allers’ death on Facebook along with a photo of him and Allers.

I am deeply saddened by the news that our friend Roger Allers has passed on to his next journey. We were just trading emails this past week while he was traveling in Egypt, which makes this loss feel all the more unreal. Roger was an extraordinarily gifted artist and filmmaker, a true pillar of the Disney Animation renaissance. He began at Disney doing per-production concepts for Tron. He then became a story artist on Oliver & Company and The Little Mermaid and other films, eventually becoming head of story on Beauty and the Beast. I had the privilege of being part of the crew with Roger on many films in the late ’80s and throughout the ’90s, and he was, without question, one of the kindest people you could hope to know and work alongside. He went on to co-direct The Lion King, a phenomenal success, yet it never went to his head. Roger treated everyone with genuine kindness and respect, regardless of title or position. I worked very closely with him on The Little Matchgirl, and it was nothing short of a joy—he carried a sense of wonder, generosity, and enthusiasm that lifted everyone around him. Roger had a joyful, luminous spirit, and the world is dimmer without him. Rest in peace, my friend. Until we meet again on the other side. I’m pictured with Roger in 2016 at an Academy event. I always admired his colorful sports jackets.

The Lion King (1994), which Allers co-directed with Rob Minkoff, is one of the most popular movies of all time, spawning $988,389,726 in worldwide box office.

Allers was born in Rye, New York but spend his childhood in the city of Glendale in Arizona. He first fell in love with the world of animation after watching the 1953 Disney movie Peter Pan when he was just five years old. He grew up to achieve a degree in Fine Arts after studying at Arizona State University, but his passion for animation was renewed by a class he took later at Harvard.

Allers began his career in animation at Lisberger Studios in Boston, While there, he worked on Sesame Street and a variety of commercials. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 70s, and worked on the film Animalympics as a story artist and character designer. Only two years later, he was storyboard artist for Disney’s original TRON, and went on to work in animation for The Little Mermaid.

No cause of death has been released.