Disney legend behind Freaky Friday and Cruella dead at 58
A Disney legend who worked on Freaky Friday, Cruella and The Haunted Mansion has has died at 58 following a battle with ALS.
Andrew Gunn has died at the age of 58.
The producer worked on a host of Disney hits, including Freaky Friday, The Haunted Mansion, Cruella and Sky High, had been living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - the neurological condition also known as Lou Gehrig's disease - since 2024.
He passed away at his home in Toronto, Canada, on Monday (03.03.26) surrounded by his family.
Tributes have been pouring in from friends and fans following the tragic news, with film writer Blaise Hemingway saying: “Andrew Gunn’s legacy will go far beyond the movies he made; he’s the ‘godfather’ to more writers, producers, directors, and executives than I can count. So many of us owe our careers to Andrew Gunn.”
Shawn Ryan - producer-and-writer known for The Shield, The Night Agent, and S.W.A.T. - added: “Grieving the loss of our long-time family friend Andrew Gunn. This is the second friend (after Shield producer Scott Brazil) who I’ve lost to ALS, a truly horrific disease. My kids grew up very close to Andrew’s kids and I feel deeply for them all today.”
One fan wrote: "We’ve lost another legend today. Andrew Gunn has sadly passed away at the age of 58. He was known for his work as a producer on Freaky Friday, Sky High, Cruella, and Freakier Friday. His contributions to film brought joy to so many. Rest in peace."
Another one shared: "Sky High and Freaky Friday where my favorite Movie's as I kid I always wanted to watch all the time when I had them both on DVD and owned both of them and still do as well too also."
Erin Westerman, President of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, described Gunn as a “born storyteller” and “the softest, gooiest man on the inside.”
ALS is a motor neuron condition that causes nerve cells to stop working and die. The muscles weaken over time, leading to paralysis. Fewer than 30,000 people in the United States are living with ALS, according to the CDC.
Gunn was a highly influential figure in Hollywood, founding the Disney Writers Program in 2001, which mentored five unproduced screenwriters each year. The program helped launch the careers of David Berenbaum (Elf, Haunted Mansion), Matt Lopez (Father of the Bride) and David DiGilio, co-creator of The Terminal List.
Gunn retired from producing after a successful career that spanned decades. Gunn was celebrated for producing family-friendly films while also shaping the next generation of Hollywood talent. He spent his final years surrounded by loved ones, leaving a lasting legacy on the industry.
In the months before he passed, Gunn was thrilled to be part of the Freaky Friday sequel, Freakier Friday, released in August 2025 - more than two decades after the 2003 original - reuniting Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan.
He was also reunited with Kristin Burr - formerly a Disney executive who oversaw many of Gunn’s movies during his early 2000s time at the studio - and Ann Marie Sanderlin, who was his partner at Gunn Films at that time.
Gunn's two adult children Isabelle and Connor Gunn also worked on Freakier Friday.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: "The best part was my daughter worked in the camera department and got into the (cinematographers) union and my son worked in props. So I got to see them every day.
"I can’t express what that meant to me.”
