The animation king was only 65 when he died on this day in 1966, of lung cancer.
Yes, Walt was a smoker. (Lucky Strikes and Gitanes, according to biographers.) The original Disneyland Main Street included a tobacco shop:
If you’re looking for cigarettes, you’ve also come to right place — even though you don’t see them on display. The tobacconist keeps them under the counter. Just ask for any of the popular brands.
The shop was located right next to the magic store, where comedian Steve Martin worked as a kid.
The tobacco shop was removed in 1991, replaced by a baseball card shop. And the magic shop is under the weather.
But not to be glum. Walt would have been the ripe old age of 108 if he was still alive today. And now he has the pleasure of being buried next to Michael Jackson.