Written by Rich McKay
(Reuters) – Richard Sherman (95 years old), the man behind the fame Disney Songs that delighted generations such as “It's a Small World (After All)” and Mary Poppins' “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “Chim Chim Cher-ee” and “Spoon Full of Sugar” died on Saturday. ) the company announced on its website.
He died in Beverly Hills Hospital, California. Disney's obituary said the cause was listed only as “age-related illness.”
Sherman was a member of the famous songwriting team “The Sherman Brothers” with his late brother Robert Sherman, and was seen as part of Walt Disney's inner creative circle.
Among non-Disney films, the Sherman Brothers wrote songs for the 1968 hit children's film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
The brothers were praised as among the most prolific composers and poets of the era. They have written over 200 songs, received nine Academy Award nominations, won two Academy Awards and three Grammy Awards, and have also earned 24 gold and platinum albums over the course of a career that spans decades.
“Richard Sherman was the embodiment of what it meant to be a Disney Legend, as he and his brother Robert created beloved classics that have become a treasured part of the soundtrack of our lives,” Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement.
Prior to his songwriting career, he majored in music at Bard College and served in the U.S. Army, where he was a conductor of the Army Band and Glee Club in the early 1950s.
In 2005, the brothers were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and three years later, they received the National Medal of Arts, which is presented at the White House.
Robert Sherman preceded him in death in 2012.
Sherman is survived by his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth, his son Gregory, and numerous other relatives. Public service plans have not been announced.