Annette Funicello dead at age 70
Posted April 8, 2013 10:12 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NEW YORK (NEWS1130) – The Walt Disney Co. says Annette Funicello, who went from Mouseketeer to beach party movie icon, has died.
The news was announced by Disney’s official fan club on Twitter.
Funicello stunned fans and friends in 1992 with the announcement she was suffering from multiple sclerosis. Yet, she was cheerful and upbeat, grappling with the disease with a courage that contrasted with her lightweight teen image of old.
The pretty, dark-haired Funicello was just 13 when she gained fame on the “Mickey Mouse Club,” an amalgam of stories, songs, and dance routines that ran from 1955 to 1959.
Cast after Disney saw her at a dance recital, she soon began receiving 8,000 fan letters a month, 10 times more than any of the 23 other young performers.
She was also known for her beach movies with Frankie Avalon.
Funicello was 70 years old.
