Joe Yule together in a Brooklyn production of "A Gaiety Girl", their only son, Ninnian Joseph Yule, Jr. (later Mickey McGuire, then Mickey Rooney), was born. The Yules separated in 1924 during a slump in vaudeville, and in 1925 Nellie moved with her son to Hollywood. Yule was naturalized as a United States citizen at the United States District Court in Los Angeles on May 14, 1943. Yule died from a heart attack on March 30, 1950 in Hollywood, California. Rooney arranged to have his father buried near Rooney's friend and longtime acting colleague, Wallace Beery, who had died the year before.
Doug Yule contacted Yule to contribute a melodic bass track on his solo album "Sally Can't Dance" (1974), on the song "Billy", which closes the album, and Yule joined Reed's band for the subsequent US and European tour as his guitar player. Following the tour the band dissolved, but Yule was called back by Reed in 1975 to record several guitar and bass tracks for his upcoming album "Coney Island Baby", the 30th anniversary re-issue of which includes the bonus tracks that feature Yule on bass and guitar. In early 1976 Yule was tapped to do session guitar work on "Night Lights"