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Annette Funicello, beloved Mouseketeer, dies at 70
By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY
Actress, singer and former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello has died at age 70, The Walt Disney Company confirmed in a statement Monday. Funicello "died peacefully from complications due to multiple sclerosis, a disease she battled for over 25 years," the company said. Funicello died at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, Calif.
Everett Collection
Annette Funicello in an undated photo from her "Mickey Mouse Club" days.
"Annette was and always will be a cherished member of the Disney family, synonymous with the word Mouseketeer, and a true Disney legend," said Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger in a statement. "She will forever hold a place in our hearts as one of Walt Disney's brightest stars, delighting an entire generation of baby boomers with her jubilant personality and endless talent.
"Annette was well known for being as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, and she faced her physical challenges with dignity, bravery and grace," Iger went on to say. "All of us at Disney join with family, friends and fans around the world in celebrating her extraordinary life."
Funicello's daughter, Gina Gilardi, told the TV program "Extra" that her mother was "on her toes dancing in heaven ... no more MS." Gilardi told "Extra" that "my brothers and I were there, holding her sweet hands when she left us."
Born in Utica, N.Y., Funicello moved to California at age 4 and was discovered by Walt Disney himself when she was just 13. She was cast in "The Mickey Mouse Club," which debuted in 1955, and quickly became the most popular Mouseketeer.
She would move on to careers in both singing and acting, often combining the two, as when she sang and acted in the "Beach Party" movie series with teen idol Frankie Avalon. Her attire in those films was a topic of discussion, as it was widely reported that Disney asked Funicello to cover her navel even while in swimwear, and she wrote in her autobiography that she did so. But photos and websites point out that her navel was indeed exposed in three of the "Beach Party" films.
Annette Funicello starred with Frankie Avalon in a series of "Beach Party" movies in the 1960s.
Funicello had a series of pop hits in the 1950s and 1960s, including "Tall Paul" and "Pineapple Princess." Liner notes on one of her albums fondly dubbed her "Queen of the Beach."
She became one of the most enduring pop-culture images of that decade, starring in comic books and a series of Disney-approved Nancy Drew-style mystery books.
In 1979, Funicello starred in a series of popular commercials for Skippy peanut butter. She poked fun at the commercials in the 1987 movie "Back to the Beach," which reunited her with Avalon and parodied their beach-party era.
It was while working on "Back to the Beach" that Funicello first noticed signs of multiple sclerosis. She was officially diagnosed in 1992, and established the Annette Funicello Fund for Neurological Diseases in 1993.
Funicello was always open about the disease, saying "I think you only have two choices in this kind of situation. Either you give in to it or you fight it. I intend to fight."
Funicello was married twice and is survived by husband Glen Holt and her three children from her first marriage, to Jack Gilardi.
By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, TODAY
Actress, singer and former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello has died at age 70, The Walt Disney Company confirmed in a statement Monday. Funicello "died peacefully from complications due to multiple sclerosis, a disease she battled for over 25 years," the company said. Funicello died at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, Calif.
Everett Collection
Annette Funicello in an undated photo from her "Mickey Mouse Club" days.
"Annette was and always will be a cherished member of the Disney family, synonymous with the word Mouseketeer, and a true Disney legend," said Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger in a statement. "She will forever hold a place in our hearts as one of Walt Disney's brightest stars, delighting an entire generation of baby boomers with her jubilant personality and endless talent.
"Annette was well known for being as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, and she faced her physical challenges with dignity, bravery and grace," Iger went on to say. "All of us at Disney join with family, friends and fans around the world in celebrating her extraordinary life."
Funicello's daughter, Gina Gilardi, told the TV program "Extra" that her mother was "on her toes dancing in heaven ... no more MS." Gilardi told "Extra" that "my brothers and I were there, holding her sweet hands when she left us."
Born in Utica, N.Y., Funicello moved to California at age 4 and was discovered by Walt Disney himself when she was just 13. She was cast in "The Mickey Mouse Club," which debuted in 1955, and quickly became the most popular Mouseketeer.
She would move on to careers in both singing and acting, often combining the two, as when she sang and acted in the "Beach Party" movie series with teen idol Frankie Avalon. Her attire in those films was a topic of discussion, as it was widely reported that Disney asked Funicello to cover her navel even while in swimwear, and she wrote in her autobiography that she did so. But photos and websites point out that her navel was indeed exposed in three of the "Beach Party" films.
Annette Funicello starred with Frankie Avalon in a series of "Beach Party" movies in the 1960s.
Funicello had a series of pop hits in the 1950s and 1960s, including "Tall Paul" and "Pineapple Princess." Liner notes on one of her albums fondly dubbed her "Queen of the Beach."
She became one of the most enduring pop-culture images of that decade, starring in comic books and a series of Disney-approved Nancy Drew-style mystery books.
In 1979, Funicello starred in a series of popular commercials for Skippy peanut butter. She poked fun at the commercials in the 1987 movie "Back to the Beach," which reunited her with Avalon and parodied their beach-party era.
It was while working on "Back to the Beach" that Funicello first noticed signs of multiple sclerosis. She was officially diagnosed in 1992, and established the Annette Funicello Fund for Neurological Diseases in 1993.
Funicello was always open about the disease, saying "I think you only have two choices in this kind of situation. Either you give in to it or you fight it. I intend to fight."
Funicello was married twice and is survived by husband Glen Holt and her three children from her first marriage, to Jack Gilardi.
