Richard Sherman, the songwriter for such classic Disney films as Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book, has died at the age of 95.
He died in Beverly Hills of an age-related illness, Disney said.
Sherman and his brother Robert, who died in 2012, worked as composers for Disney between 1960 and 1973, during which time they wrote more than 200 songs for 27 films and over 20 television productions.
Their work is from another era. Hollywood magazine Variety described their role as "a job that no longer exists: full-time studio songwriters".
Disney described Richard Sherman as a "key member" of company founder Walt Disney's "inner circle of creative talent."
The brothers' work includes "Chim Chim Cher-ee," a hit from the 1964 film "Mary Poppins," which won them an Oscar for best song. They also won the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Robert Sherman wrote the lyrics and Richard, known as Dick, composed the music, following in the footsteps of his songwriter father Al Sherman.
"We are forever grateful for the mark Richard left on the world and offer our deepest condolences to his family," Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement.
The brothers are also responsible for such hits as "It's a Small World" and "I Wan'na Be Like You" from The Jungle Book, as well as composing the scores for non-Disney works such as "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" from 1968.
"The duo's work remains the quintessence of Walt Disney's lyrical voice," the company said.
The brothers have continued to collaborate with Disney over the years. In 2016, Richard Sherman wrote new lyrics for the feature version of "The Jungle Book", and in 2018 he composed songs for "Christopher Robin".
He was "literally an inexhaustible source of stories, facts, anecdotes and tidbits of everything that happened," actor Tom Hanks said in 2013. /BGNES
