Walt Disney himself saw Annette Funicello in a ballet recital and decided she should be a Mouseketeer. When the show aired, Funicello displayed a star quality that made her the most popular of the ...

Annette Funicello, the most popular Mouseketeer on "The Mickey Mouse Club," who matured to a successful career in records and '60s beach party movies but struggled with illness in middle age and ...

In the ever-changing landscape of American pop culture, only a precious few manage to grow up in front of an audience and remain beloved across decades. Actress and singer Annette Funicello was ...

Annette Funicello, the dark-haired darling of TV’s “The Mickey Mouse Club” in the 1950s who further cemented her status as a pop-culture icon in the ’60s by teaming with Frankie ...

Annette Funicello, who was part of the original cast of the 1950's Disney television program, The Mickey Mouse Club, died Monday. She was 70 and had had multiple sclerosis for decades.

LOS ANGELES - Annette Funicello, the dark-haired darling of TV's "The Mickey Mouse Club" in the 1950s who further cemented her status as a pop-culture icon in the '60s by ...

The pretty, dark-haired Funicello was 13 when she gained fame on "The Mickey Mouse Club," a kids' variety show that consisted of stories, songs and dance routines. It ran on ABC from 1955 to 1959.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Annette Funicello, who became a child star as a perky, cute-as-a-button Mouseketeer on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in the 1950s, then teamed up with Frankie Avalon in a string of `60s ...

BURBANK, Calif. — The stage at Walt Disney Studios where "The Mickey Mouse Club" was filmed is now officially the Annette Funicello Stage. Disney chief Bob Iger led a ceremony Monday dedicating ...

Handpicked by Walt Disney to be one of the original Mouseketeers, Annette Funicello was America's girl next door. She spoke to Fresh Air in 1994 about Mickey Mouse ears and why she went public ...

Annette Funicello, who was part of the original cast of the 1950's Disney television program, The Mickey Mouse Club, died Monday. She was 70 and had had multiple sclerosis for decades.