News Eddie Sotto, legendary imagineer, has died at 67

[Figments Friend]

Per Jim Shull (and a number of other folks), Eddie Sotto - probably best known for his work in Tokyo and Paris (including on the design of DLP's Main Street), but also for working on Mission: Space, various unbuilt World Showcase pavilions, and many other things at WDW and Disneyland, has died at the age of 67.

Noooo!!
Just learning of this right now after being engulfed in work for the last 14 hours.

Total surprise for me…and so sad to learn of his passing!
Gah…



Eddie was a great guy.
Had some wonderful stories and a keen eye.
Did some brilliant work, and was indeed a real artist who did some great artwork and concepts.

He also famously spent some time here with us here on WDW Magic some years ago, in a couple of fabulously informative and delightfully entertaining threads.
A highly recommended read for anyone interested in classic WED and the era of WDI during the creation of Euro Disneyland / DLP.

Wow …this is hitting me hard tonight.
In shock at his sudden and unexpected passing.
He will indeed be missed!
Rest easy, Eddie.



-

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Do they still use his voice for the train announcements at Disneyland?

 

[Comped]

Imagineer Tom K. Morris penned his own tribute to Eddie in a series of replies to this post (in which he noted Eddie died of heart failure). It's a beautiful read.

 

[Figments Friend]

Eddie and I talked on social media on occasion - and he was always so generous with his time even when, frankly, he didn't have to be.

Same.
A gentlemen.

Out last discussion was about how much we both enjoyed ‘TRON Ares’ in IMAX.
We are both ‘Tron’ nerds and were raving about the film experience together.

We were talking about how Disney should seriously consider building a ‘Tron’ themed lounge, since highly themed lounges seem to be the Theme Park ‘trend’ at the moment.
Eddie was very excited about the prospect and thought this would be a great addition.

Man, I just cannot believe he is gone!
I will need to hit up Starbucks tomorrow and order his favorite drink and raise it in a toast in his honor.
He would probably be amused by that…

-

 

[Figments Friend]

Imagineer Tom K. Morris penned his own tribute to Eddie in a series of replies to this post (in which he noted Eddie died of heart failure). It's a beautiful read.

Lovely.
Tom has always been a class act.
Love him.

My heart goes out to him and Tony tonight.
Both of them are effected by this on a personal level as they worked closely with Eddie on various projects.

-

 

[HMF]

Do they still use his voice for the train announcements at Disneyland?

He was still the voice at the DLP station as of October of 2024 at least and most likely still is.

 

[jah4955]

I almost couldn't believe it when I first read it. It was a lot of fun hearing his stories about WDI. Had I actually succeeded in my aspiration to work for WDI, I would have credited him as my mentor. I messaged him as soon as I got home from France last year to visit DLP among other things. I liked him a lot and he will be greatly missed.

It's arguably the biggest frustration of life: "no such thing as a sure thing."

No one KNOWS whether they will have tomorrow.

 

[COProgressFan]

Such a shame. His presence on this site years ago was wonderful. I learned so much from his "ask me anything" threads here and found him so insightful and accessible. His talents will be missed.

 

[HMF]

It's arguably the biggest frustration of life: "no such thing as a sure thing."

No one KNOWS whether they will have tomorrow.

I know that only too well.

 

[tanc]

He was one of the best and there’s quite a few interviews floating around of his experiences. What a phenomenal life he had, he left a mark forever on imagineering. Even if he departed the company a while ago, his contributions are still among the best ever.

 

[Brian]

 

[prberk]

So sad.

 

[willtravel]

What did Eddie Sotto die of? Has he been sick?

 

[James Alucobond]

What did Eddie Sotto die of? Has he been sick?

Click into the Tom Morris Bluesky post above and read his entire thread. It gives some details.

 

[montyz81]

Eddie was another Tony Baxter. He had the right ideas, attention to detail and all around great guy. Imagineers today could learn a thing or two from his work. RIP Eddie

 

[Stripes]

It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of Eddie Sotto. Eddie joined Walt Disney Imagineering in 1986, where he rose to become Senior Vice President of Concept Design. Undoubtedly the… | Bruce Vaughn | 37 comments

It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of Eddie Sotto. Eddie joined Walt Disney Imagineering in 1986, where he rose to become Senior Vice President of Concept Design. Undoubtedly the world will remember him for his boundless creativity and near-obsessive attention to detail. One...

www.linkedin.com

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

Absolutely heartbreaking. Eddie truly was one of the best to ever do it, and his sudden passing is devastating. I hope his legacy of creativity and passion lives on through the parks for the rest of time.

 

[Brian]

What did Eddie Sotto die of? Has he been sick?

Unclear, but this post from Tom Morris, a fellow Imagineer and close friend of Eddie's, would seem to indicate that he was terminally ill .

Although I knew this day was approaching, I still don’t know where to begin. Eddie had been signaling it to me in the most paradoxical, “Eddie” way you can imagine, but with the same energy & optimism he always displayed. He wasn’t afraid of his next destination nor would he ever want to be pitied. So we both remained nonchalant. We had a long conversation a week ago and his spirit and optimism were, as always, indomitable.