Santa Monica, California - Roger Allers, a filmmaker and animation wizard who co-directed The Lion King and other huge Disney hits, has died at the age of 76, Disney said.

Besides The Lion King, which came out in 1994, Allers worked on films such as Tron, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast.

Allers died suddenly at his home in California on Saturday after a short illness, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Disney CEO Robert Iger paid tribute to Allers in a post on Instagram on Sunday evening.

"Roger Allers was a creative visionary whose many contributions to Disney will live on for generations to come," Iger said.

"He understood the power of great storytelling – how unforgettable characters, emotion and music can come together to create something timeless," Iger added.

Allers' frequent collaborator Dave Bossert also paid tribute on Facebook, writing, "I am deeply saddened by the news that our friend Roger Allers has passed on to his next journey. We were just trading emails this past week while he was traveling in Egypt, which makes this loss feel all the more unreal."

"Roger was an extraordinarily gifted artist and filmmaker, a true pillar of the Disney Animation renaissance," Bossert added.