Photos by: JeffChristiansen via flickr

The long-time creative leader of Disney Imagineering, Marty Sklar (83), who oversaw attractions in some of the world’s most famous theme parks, died Thursday, according to the company.No details were released yet on the cause of his death.

Sklar did not just have an important role in the contribution to the company’s theme parks, he also worked directly together with Walt Disney himself.

Disney CEO Bob Iger said; “Everything about Marty was legendary ― his achievements, his spirit, his career.”

He also said in a news release; “(Sklar) embodied the very best of Disney, from his bold originality to his joyful optimism and relentless drive for excellence.He was also a powerful connection to Walt himself.No one was more passionate about Disney than Marty and we’ll miss his enthusiasm, his grace, and his indomitable spirit.”

Sklar got his start at Disneyland a month before the park opened in 1955, where he worked on Disneyland News, which was a newspaper for the theme park.He was studying at UCLA at the time.

On Disneyland's 50th anniversary last 2005, he summed up his life's work as he walked into the park.

"I think Disneyland is so much about reassuring people the world can be OK, that things can be orderly, that you can speak to a stranger," he told the AP. "All those things that we are losing or have lost in our daily lives,” he added.