Disney Fan Club: Annette Funicello has died

[Roland99]

Source: USA Today

Disney's official fan club has just broken the news on Twitter:

Annette Funicello has died at age 70.

The actress, singer and beloved Mousketeer had been hospitalized in Bakersfield due to complications from multiple sclerosis, according to Extra.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/04/08/disney-annette-funicello-dies/2063545/

[TeamPooka]

1. RIP. I loved the Beach movies series.

[hamsterjill]

47. Me, too!!!

She and Frankie were just great together!!!

[Renew Deal]

2. Annette Funicello, Margaret Thatcher, who is the third???

[MiniMe]

8. Roger Ebert

[greatauntoftriplets]

9. Roger Ebert.

[Renew Deal]

40. Of course

[greatauntoftriplets]

41. His funeral was today, open to the public.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-roger-ebert-funeral,0,1722855.story

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

22. So what's the time limit on the "celebrities die in threes" thing?

Ebert died two days ago - does he still count? There were some less famous celebs who died in between? What's the level of fame one has to have to be counted?

[Renew Deal]

39. Yes, counts

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

3. awww...

Always liked her

[L0oniX]

4. My second crush. First was Elizabeth Taylor. n/t

[DainBramaged]

42. Edie Adams here

[alfredo]

48. My crushes were Annette and Juliet Prowse.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. How to Stuff a Wild Bikini

was on TV yesterday. It may be the "Citizen Kane" of Annette Funicello movies.

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini

ETA: what surprises me most about it is that I had thought that Harvey Lembeck, who played Eric Von Zipper, had died only recently. I see now that he died over 30 years ago.

[happyslug]

52. What surprized me, was she was under contract with Disney, so Walt Disney had final strip approval

Yes, Walk Disney had final strip approval of the beach movies starring her, think about it. NOT Disney Corporation, but Walt Disney himself. Walt only died in 1966.

[slackmaster]

7. She suffered horribly with MS for a long, long time.

RIP Annette.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

10. She showed amazing courage and dignity.

How many could know that they have multiple sclerosis and still show the good nature that she did?

[LongTomH]

11. Really sorry to hear that!

RIP Annette. She was the first crush for a whole generation growing up in the late 50s / early 60s.

[HomerRamone]

12. Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company :-(

[OKNancy]

37. why, because we love you

[DainBramaged]

43. M-i-c

Last edited Mon Apr 8, 2013, 08:58 PM - Edit history (1)

[PuffedMica]

61. K-E-Y

[DainBramaged]

63. Mouse

that was such a long time ago. I miss those days of innocence.

[Vinnie From Indy]

13. RIP

eom

[Poll_Blind]

14. Very sad. R.I.P. the Pineapple Princess.

PB

[warrior1]

15. Rest in peace

[BumRushDaShow]

16. R.I.P.

[llmart]

55. Oh, my.....

that brought back some memories from my childhood.

[snappyturtle]

60. Here's the series in order of "Annette" from the MMC:

&list=PLD3B260928660723E

Certainly a different time. I remember Spin and Marty series but not this one.
Does take one w-a-y back! There's about 18 episodes....10-11 min. each

R.I.P. Annette

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

17. RIP

This has been a bad week for celebrities.

[Cleita]

18. That's a shame.

She was my generation and although I didn't really care for the beach movies, I liked her a lot. RIP Annette. Your suffering is over.

[walkerbait41]

19. From the both of us

RIP good friend

[joeglow3]

20. I know her from Stand By Me

Was too young to know her otherwise.

[LibDemAlways]

21. Back in the early 80's Annette was a parent at the school

where I was teaching. Every Wednesday she would show up as a volunteer to help cook lunch for the students and staff. She was down to earth and unpretentious. I know many who knew her back then are mourning her loss today.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

23. She's finally free -

Last time I saw her was in a interview with Mary Hart -- it was essentially a "good-by" from ET and good friend Mary Hart. She was interrible shape, barely able to speak. That was many years ago -- I cannot imagine what condition she was in before she passed. Godpseed, Annette.

[MurrayDelph]

29. I remember that interview

She said what she missed most was dancing.

She's dancing freely now.

[shenmue]

24. Rest in peace.

She was neat. I liked her a lot.

[Beacool]

25. I'm so sorry to hear that.

She had been living with MS for years. My condolences to her family.

Rest in peace, Annette.

[benld74]

26. Prayers

[upaloopa]

27. I had a crush on her though she was a few years older than me

My first crush I think

[Plucketeer]

33. Probably incalculable - how many boys were in love with her

I know I was smitten from the first time I saw her! She was the MAIN reason I watched the MMC show! RIP lover.

[onehandle]

28. HuffPo is so weird. Their front page headline: Former 'Mickey Mouse Club' Star Dies At Age 70

Not only do they assume that their demographic doesn't know who Annette Funicello is, they also, by using quotes, think that they don't know what the 'Mickey Mouse Club' is.

[MotherPetrie]

30. RIP. :(

[Glorfindel]

31. The world is a poorer place without her

May she rest in peace.

[immoderate]

32. RIP Annette. A good lady.

--imm

[deurbano]

34. I loved her voice.

She was such an icon of my childhood. I got my parents to give my baby sister "Annette" for a middle name. (Actually, I thought it was going to be her first name, but they reneged!)

RIP, Annette.

[OKNancy]

35. More upset about this than Thatcher

I loved Annette. She, in many ways, is responsible for my career as a dancer and then as a dance studio owner.
She was an important part of my growing up.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

36. She was cute.

Hubby had to have a small crying episode over her.

[DeSwiss]

38. Yes, I too was a pre-pubescent membrum de rodent rodentia clava....

...and Annette was the reason.

- RIP

[kimbutgar]

44. I saw Annette and Frankie at Knotts Berry Farm in the late 80's

She had the beginnings of the MS at first my husband I thought she was drunk. But she was so sweet and interacted with the audience we let it go. Also she was very beautiful in person. Rip Annette you are no longer suffering.

[Jim__]

45. RIP.

[alfredo]

46. I had a crush on her when I was just a young boy. I'm a sucker for dancers.

[Douglas Carpenter]

49. continued

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014448143#post6

[SleeplessinSoCal]

50. She was special. Because she was so young, girls could want to be her and love her too.

That's how I experienced her as a young girl. She just oozed warmth and love along with her talent and obvious physical charms.

She was the opposite of Margaret Thatcher. And it's really sad that they died on the same day.

[shanti]

51. RIP, Mousketeer Annette!

I was just thinking about her the other day...

[liberal N proud]

53. MIC -

[PuffedMica]

62. KEY-

[Scootaloo]

54. Now there's a death worth mouring.

RIP, Annette.

[patricia92243]

56. :She had been in a MS coma for years." How very, very sad. In my ignorance,

I did not realize people with MS went into a coma. Shame on me.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

57. Sad.

For some reason, I thought she had already passed though.

[LoisB]

58. RIP. Every girl I knew (me included) wanted to be Annette.

[madrchsod]

59. dam.....another one of my childhood fantasies gone on......

[BadGimp]

64. Darnit, I was this close to tappin that ..

[Norbert]

65. This is a huge loss to us Baby Boomers

Think about it.

In the 1950s she was the star Mousketeer and we were in front of the TV religiously thie the Mickey Mouse Club show was on.

When the older Boomers started growing into adolescence they said goodbye to the kiddie stuff and Annette. But Annette was not through with the Boomers by a long shot. The Beach Party movies were on their way.

When the Boomers were married and had children of their own there was Annette and her children on TV with Skippy peanut butter.

When the older boomers started emptying the nest Annette went back to the beach.

It was tough hearing the news today even though I expected this scenario to play out much sooner.

Godspeed Annette. I hope the beaches where you reside are pristine, the sunsets are breathtaking and you are forever 20 years old.

[Kablooie]

66. I saw her in person back in the late 70's.

I noticed an attractive woman and thought to myself, 'Wow! That is an exceptionally gorgeous woman.'
Then I suddenly realized it was Annette!

I didn't think she was particularly attractive when she was young but boy had she changed!