(October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013)
was an American actress and singer. Funicello began her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve. She rose to prominence as one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the original Mickey Mouse Club. As a teenager, she transitioned to a successful career as a singer with the pop singles "O Dio Mio", "Tall Paul" and "Pineapple Princess", as well as establishing herself as a film actress, popularizing the successful "Beach Party" genre alongside co-star Frankie Avalon during the mid-1960s.
In 1992, Funicello announced that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She died of complications from the disease on April 8, 2013.
In early 1987, Funicello reunited with Frankie Avalon for a series of promotional concerts to promote their film Back to the Beach. She began to suffer from dizziness and balance issues, but initially kept the episodes from family and friends. In 1992, Funicello announced that she was suffering from multiple sclerosis. She felt that it was now necessary to go public in order to combat rumors that her impaired ability to walk was the result of alcoholism. In 1993, she opened the Annette Funicello Fund for Neurological Disorders at the California Community Foundation.
On October 6, 2012, the CTV flagship current affairs program W5 profiled Funicello following her fifteen years away from the public eye. The program revealed that her disease had severely damaged her nervous system; Funicello had lost the ability to walk in 2004, the ability to speak in 2009, and, at the time of the profile, she required round-the-clock care in order to survive. In the profile, Holt and her closest friend, actress Shelley Fabares, discussed Funicello's state at the time, as well as the numerous medical interventions and treatments that had been attempted in order to improve her condition.
On April 8, 2013, Funicello died at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, California, at age 70, from complications due to multiple sclerosis. At the time of her death, Funicello's family and Fabares were with her. Her funeral was a private ceremony held on April 12, 2013, at the Cherished Memories Memorial Chapel in Bakersfield, California. Commenting on her death, Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, said,
Annette was and always will be a cherished member of the Disney family, synonymous with the word Mouseketeer, and a true Disney Legend. 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. All of us at Disney join with family, friends and fans around the world in celebrating her extraordinary life.
Media coverage of Funicello's death was almost completely overshadowed by that of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher who died on the same day.
After her death, the Disney Channel Original movie Teen Beach Movie (2013) was dedicated to her memory.
In 1992, she was inducted as a Disney Legend.
She received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for motion pictures on September 14, 1993, located at 6834 Hollywood Blvd.
In the Disney Village shopping and dining area of Disneyland Paris, a 1950s themed restaurant, Annette's Diner, is named after her.
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