Overview
- Randy Morris died on Sunday, October 25, 2026, news outlets reported, closing the career of the pianist who welcomed guests to Magic Kingdom on its October 1, 1971 opening day.
- Morris began with Disney at Disneyland in 1970 and moved to Florida at 19 on an initial contract to play ragtime on Main Street, U.S.A., a role he commemorated by replaying Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” for the park’s 50th anniversary in 2021.
- Beyond Casey’s Corner, he performed across Walt Disney World in groups such as The Banjo Kings, the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, and the Riverboat Rascals, and led bands at local venues including Rosie O’Grady’s.
- The American Banjo Museum inducted Morris into its Hall of Fame in 2022 for his work preserving and promoting banjo music, and the Main Street piano role he helped define continues with performers such as Carol Stein.
- Morris’s decades of live performance and archival work made his music a defining part of Main Street’s soundscape, and his death spotlights how live entertainers and preservation efforts keep traditional American music alive for new guests.