Bob Lambert, a Roanoke native, was the keynote speaker at CityWorks (X)po in October 2011.

UPDATE 9/13: There will be a gathering of those who knew Lambert at 5:30 p.m. today in Lucky Restaurant at 18 Kirk Avenue Southwest in Roanoke.

Some sad news this week. Bob Lambert, a Roanoke native and Virginia Tech graduate who was a Disney executive for 25 years, died Friday at age 55. Lambert recently returned to Roanoke as the keynote speaker for CityWorks (X)po, organized by Roanoke entrepreneur Ed Walker.

The Los Angeles Times has published an obituary describing Lambert’s role in ushering in the age of GGI, calling him a ” widely respected entertainment industry executive who played a pivotal role in the advent of computer animation.” (Click the link or picture to read the story.)

Lambert told a Roanoke Times reporter in 2011 that he frequently visited Roanoke and stayed in contact with friends here. “The thing I love about this city is the human scale of it,” he said.