Annette Funicello, the dark-haired darling of TV&#8217;s &quot;The Mickey Mouse Club,&quot; later teamed with Frankie Avalon in a series of
Annette Funicello, the dark-haired darling of TV's "The Mickey Mouse Club," later teamed with Frankie Avalon in a series of "beach" movies. (Globe Photos, Zuma Press Globe Photos, Zuma Press)






Avalon said Monday that Funicello never realized how beloved she was.

"She would say, 'Really?' " he told The Associated Press. "She was so bashful about it. She was an amazing girl. It's like losing a family member. I'm devastated."

She was the last of the 24 original Mouseketeers chosen for "The Mickey Mouse Club," the immensely popular children's TV show that began in 1955, when fewer than two-thirds of households had television sets. Walt Disney discovered her at a ballet performance.


Her devotion to Walt Disney remained throughout her life.



Outgrowing the kid roles by the early '60s, she then teamed with Avalon.

Photos: Annette Funicello

At the height of her stardom, she said her ambition was to quit show business and have nine children.

With minor exceptions, like her commercials for Skippy peanut butter, Funicello did become a full-time homemaker after marrying at 22. One reason, she said, was her reluctance to take parts at odds with her squeaky-clean image.
