Bob Lambert, a digital pioneer of Disney, has died suddenly at the age of 55 this week. Lambert spent 25 years working for the Walt Disney company and was known to be a major force in pushing the film business to embrace a digital future, according to Reuters.

The executive died at his home in Glendale, according to family members. The cause of death has not been reported yet.

He was a senior executive at Disney until 2010 and has attributed greatly in changing Disney's approach to animation. His works included movies, television, e-commerce and gaming. He was also involved with strategic planning, intellectual property, patent strategy and talent recruitment. 

He founded and chaired DCI, LLC, a six-studio consortium that helped movie theaters move onto digital exhibition rather than film projectors.

Motion Picture Association of America's CEO Chris Dodd said in a statement today: "I am deeply saddened by the passing of Bob Lambert. A pioneer for both the creative and tech communities, Bob led us into the transition from celluloid film to digital, and forever improved the quality of our films and our movie-watching experience.

Tags: Disney