Club 33 manager Bonnye Lear is being remembered by her fellow Disneyland employees as a kind, gentle and caring person who was thoughtful, graceful and full of joy.
Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock sent a letter to employees on Monday, June 10 sharing the “heartbreaking” news of the death of Lear, who died last week after a tragic accident at the Anaheim theme park.
“I am very sad to share the heartbreaking news that we have lost one of our Disneyland resort cast members, Bonnye Lear, who passed away Friday after being involved in a tragic golf cart accident backstage earlier in the week,” Potrock said in the letter.
Lear, 60, of Fullerton was seriously injured on Wednesday, June 5 when she fell from a golf cart in a backstage area behind Critter Country. She died from her injuries on Friday, June 7.
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Lear, a 24-year employee at Disneyland, most recently worked as a Club 33 Senior Guest Services Manager. She previously worked in the Disneyland guest services, special activities and travel agency divisions.
“As you can imagine, during those two dozen years, she touched thousands of lives — both guest and cast,” Potrock said in the letter. “I have been reading so many wonderful tributes that describe Bonnye as a beautiful person who was kind, gentle, caring, thoughtful, sincere, warm, graceful and full of joy.”
I used to work with Bonnye, and she was quite literally the kindest human who worked at the Disneyland Resort. This is truly very sad for her family and fellow Cast at the Club. https://t.co/G7gXAVFQCr pic.twitter.com/KkHyh9gVXD
— Just Ask Danny (@just_ask_danny) June 8, 2024
Potrock extended his deepest sympathies and profound grief to Lear’s family and everyone who worked with her at the Disneyland resort.
“I’m confident that Bonnye’s kind, genuine spirit will live on through our caring interactions with each other,” Potrock said in the letter.
Disneyland is offering in-person and online counseling to employees who need mental health support following Lear’s death.
“We are focused on supporting Bonnye’s family and know this is also a difficult time for many of our cast members,” Potrock said in the letter.
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Disneyland is fully cooperating with ongoing investigations being conducted by the Anaheim Police Department and Cal/OSHA, according to Potrock.
“Safety is our number one priority here at the resort,” Potrock said in the letter.
Lear’s most recent job was in Club 33, the members-only club in New Orleans Square that Disneyland bills as exclusive, world class and shrouded in mystery.
Club 33 was inspired by the VIP lounges Walt Disney experienced at the 1964 New York World’s Fair where It’s a Small World and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln first debuted. The private Disneyland club opened in May 1967 a few months after Disney’s death in December 1966.
