Disney’s Right-Hand Man Dead At 89

William H.D. Cotrell Jr., a Disney executive credited by the company with a key role in the conception and creation of Disneyland, has died at age 89.

Cotrell died Friday at St. Joseph Hospital Medical Center in Burbank, his family said Sunday.

Called “Uncle Bill” by his colleagues, Cotrell was a close adviser to Walt Disney - “his counselor and right-hand man,” said Marvin Davis, Cotrell’s son-in-law.

Before his retirement in 1982, he spent 18 years running Retlaw (Walter spelled backward), the company that conducted business for the Disney family.

Before that, he headed the Disney division that designed and constructed the theme park in Anaheim, which opened in 1955. The company cited that role in honoring him last year as a “Disney Legend.”