This 1955 photo shows Annette Funicello, the "Mouseketeer"
A TRUE MOUSEKETEER: Annette Funicello, shown at 16, got her start in showbiz in the 1950s as a Mouseketeer and went on to star in films including ‘Beach Party,’ in 1963 with singer Frankie Avalon. In the 1990s, the actress went public with her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Funicello died yesterday at age 70.
She was 70 and had battled multiple sclerosis for 25 years.
Funicello was only 12 when she was hand-picked by Walt Disney to star on the popular kids show, which aired from 1955-1959. The dark-haired beauty quickly popped as the breakout star. By the end of the first season, she was reportedly receiving about 1,500 fan letters a week.
She caught a second wave of fame with the lighthearted “Beach Party” films in the 1960s with on-screen partner Frankie Avalon. After the initial hit in 1963, the two went on to make “Muscle Beach Party,” “Bikini Beach” and “Beach Blanket Bingo.”
She was also a successful pop star, with such songs as “How Will I Know Love,” “Tall Paul” and “Pineapple Princess.”
By 1970, she had curtailed her showbiz work. In the early 1980s, she appeared in a series of Skippy peanut butter commercials.
She and Avalon made something of a big-screen comeback with the 1987 comedy “Back to the Beach,” but it was at this time she started experiencing problems with her balance.
To combat rumors that she was an alcoholic, she went public in 1992 with her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
Her 1994 autobiography, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes: My Story,” was made into a 1995 telefilm, and she appeared as herself in the final scenes.
She is survived by her second husband, Glen Holt, and her three children, Gina, Jack Jr. and Jason.
Many chose to honor her with one of her more familiar sayings:
“Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.”
Yesterday, it was obvious Funicello had made life wonderful for a lot of people.
Source:
http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/movies/movie_news/2013/04/girl_next_door_annette_funicello_dies_at_70
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