Annette Funicello, Former Mouseketeer, Dies At 70

Annette Funicello, a former child star on The Mickey Mouse Club, died from complications relating to multiple sclerosis on Monday. She was 70.

Funicello was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis over 20 years ago. In 2004, she lost the ability to walk, and lost the ability to talk five years later in 2009, according to Extra. After being in an MS coma for years, Funicello was taken off of life support on Monday, surrounded by her family, including husband Glen Holt.

Funicello was a Mouseketeer from 1955 to 1957, having been selected by Walt Disney to be one of the original cast members of the Mickey Mouse Club at the age of 12. Funicello went on to star in Disney films The Shaggy Dog and Babes in Toyland among others. In the early 1960s, she co-starred with Frankie Avalon in a series of Beach Party movies that included, Beach Party, Muscle Beach Party, Pajama Beach Party, Beach Blanket Bing and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.

"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," Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger said in a statement released Monday. "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. All of us at Disney join with family, friends, and fans around the world in celebrating her extraordinary life."

Funicello was first married in 1965 to Jack Gilardi, with whom she had three children before divorcing in 1981. She married horse breeder and trainer Holt in 1986. She is survived by Holt and her three children from her marriage to Gilardi.