Don Iwerks, the Disney legend who spearheaded various camera and projection systems for the company’s parks and films, has died. He was 96.

Disney announced Iwerks died on Thursday evening.

“It is with great sadness that we report that Disney Legend Don Iwerks has passed away at the age of 96,” reads a statement shared on Disney D23’s Instagram. “Iwerks was an innovator whose work brought The Walt Disney Company to new technological heights, aiding in perfecting the sodium vapor process used in 1964’s Academy Award®-winning Mary Poppins, developing the 360-degree Circle-Vision camera used to film America the Beautiful for Disney Parks, and implementing the projection system for the fan-favorite Star Tours attraction, among numerous other advancements. The achievements of Don Iwerks and his family have shaped Disney’s creative ethos and will forever be part of the company’s history.”

Born July 24, 1929, Iwerks is the son of fellow Disney legend Ub Iwerks, co-creator of Mickey Mouse (alongside Walt Disney himself). Iwerks began at Walt Disney Productions in 1950, where he was a special photographic processes laboratory technician. He was drafted into the Korean War, but upon his return two years later, he returned to Disney.

Iwerks took on his role as a camera technician position in 1953, where he worked on his first feature 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He went on to lead the machine shop department, camera service department and technical engineering and manufacturing division.

The executive is particularly known for developing the 360-degree Circle-Vision camera; alongside Ub, he also helped develop the sodium vapor process.

After 35 years with Disney, he founded Iwerks Entertainment, Inc. in 1986. The company was later acquired by SimEx, Inc. in 2001.

In 1997, Iwerks received the Gordon E. Sawyer Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors, and was named a Disney legend in 2009.

“Don embodied that rare combination of heart, ingenuity, and passion that has always defined Disney,” Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro said in a statement. “Through his innovative contributions to some of our most iconic films and attractions, he helped create experiences that have delighted generations of fans around the world. All of us at The Walt Disney Company will miss him deeply, and we send our most heartfelt condolences to his family, whose enduring connection to Disney has helped shape its legacy for over a century.”

Don Iwerks, the former Disney executive who innovated several cinematic advancements during his career, has died. He was 96.

The Iwerks Entertainment co-founder died peacefully on Thursday at Ojai Community Memorial Care Center, “surrounded by the love of family and friends,” according to an obituary shared by his family.

“Those who knew Don remember not only his extraordinary accomplishments, but the quiet grace with which he achieved them,” the family said of Iwerks. “Like his father, he delighted in solving problems, sharing knowledge, and celebrating the successes of others. Humble, endlessly curious, and unfailingly optimistic, he believed every challenge held the possibility of a solution.”

They added, “Up to the end he was sketching new inventions, cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers, and watching classic films. Mary Poppins remained especially close to his heart—a film whose optimism and enduring message that anything was possible perfectly reflected the way Don lived his life. … To the world, Don was an engineer, inventor, and Disney Legend. To those fortunate enough to know him, he was a devoted husband and father, a trusted mentor, a steadfast friend, and an eternal optimist.”

Born July 24, 1929 in Dallas, Texas, Iwerks grew up in Southern California, where his father, animator Ub Iwerks, became Walt Disney’s business parter, co-creating Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

In 1950, Don followed in his father’s footsteps when he began working at Walt Disney Studios’ Process Lab, shortly before he served for more than a year in Germany as a U.S. Army Signal Corps photographer during the Korean War.

Don returned to Disney in 1952, working alongside his father in the Studio Machine Shop to help develop cameras, optical printers and special effects systems for Disney films and theme parks, including the original Circle-Vision camera system, refinements to the sodium traveling matte process used in Mary Poppins (1964), and numerous projection technologies for Disney attractions around the world.

After 24 years, Don and fellow Disney exec Stan Kinsey co-founded Iwerks Entertainment in 1986, which became a global pioneer in giant-screen theaters, motion simulators and immersive 3D experiences worldwide.

In 1998, Don was awarded the Gordon E. Sawyer Award at the Oscars for his technical contributions to the motion picture industry. He and his father Ub were also honored with a dedicated Main Street, U.S.A. window in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.

Don is survived by survived by wife Betty; son Larry; son John and wife Chris; documentarian daughter Leslie and great-nephew Mike, both of whom went on to work at The Walt Disney Company. Don was preceded in death by his daughter Tamara, “whom he loved deeply and carried in his heart always.”

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Community Memorial Continuing Care Center of Ojai and The Walt Disney Family Museum.

Oregon‘s attorney general has dropped a civil investigative demand for Paramount to turn over records related to its efforts to secure federal approval for its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, the company said on Friday.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield also had asked a state circuit court judge to order Paramount to turn over the materials and to delay Paramount’s closing of its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by 60 days so the documents could be reviewed. A hearing has been scheduled for Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

A Paramount spokesperson said, “We are pleased that the Oregon Attorney General has withdrawn its motion to delay this transaction. It was the right decision and avoids an unwarranted effort to delay a lawful, pro-competitive merger.

“Antitrust authorities around the world have carefully reviewed this transaction, clearing it or concluding that it does not violate any competition laws. That regulatory record underscores what the facts, the law and the economics make clear: this transaction will create a stronger challenger to dominant global streaming and technology platforms, expand consumer choice, increase investment in premium content and theatrical distribution, and create more opportunities for creators and workers. We look forward to completing the transaction and delivering those benefits.”

A spokesperson for Rayfield did not immediately return a request for comment.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other state attorneys general are said to be considering a legal challenge to the transaction.

Rayfield sought Paramount records of lobbying of federal officials, as well as its role in a statement that the DOJ released in support of the transaction. The attorney general also sought documents “related to the formulation and execution of lobbying strategies aimed at obtaining regulatory approval of the proposed merger, which Respond as internally named ‘Project Warrior.’”

In a court filing, Paramount has objected to the document requests, arguing, among other things, that they impose “burdens and demands which are disproportionate” to the Oregon investigation and are “of such marginal relevance that the value of any materials sought is outweighed by the burden imposed on Paramount in having to provide such information.”

“Lobbying activities and related communications are wholly irrelevant to whether the proposed acquisition ‘violates Oregon’s antitrust laws,’” the company’s legal team wrote.