Some very saddening news is hitting the Disney Community today that will break the hearts of countless Cast Members and guest alike. Richard Gerth, the Grand Floridian Greeter, passed away at the age of 92 last night due to complications from pneumonia.
On Tuesday morning reports that Richard had fallen ill surfaced. He had been taken to hospice and according to a Facebook page that has contact with the family, Richard passed in the early morning hours.
Starting his career at Walt Disney World in 1991, Richard Gerth, has been welcoming guests with his smile and happy disposition for generations. Gerth had become so well-known that many families make getting a picture with him an annual tradition.
Guests loved Richard and he loved meeting them too. “I think just about every day is a good day…To be acknowledged by another person is the greatest feeling that anyone could get out of a job,” Gerth said during a 2014 interview.
Gerth was recognized in 2013 by Disney when they awarded him the Walt Disney Legacy Award. This is the highest honor that Cast Members can achieve at Disney Parks and Resorts and those who have been honored with it wear a blue name tag rather than the traditional white name tag.
Richard was everything you would want a cast member to be. He was warm and friendly and it is a great loss for the Disney community. Our thoughts, prayers and condolences and thoughts go out to his family. He was a Disney Legend and he will be greatly missed.