VIDEO: BWW Salutes Career of Annette Funicello

Actress Annette Funicello, long-time Disney and Beach Party star, passed away on Monday April 8 at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, CA, at the age of 70. She died peacefully from complications due to Multiple Sclerosis, a disease she battled for over 25 years.

Beloved by television viewers in the 50s for her stint on Disney's original The Mickey Mouse Club, and by film buffs for her numerous roles in a series of popular teen-oriented movies in the 60s, Funicello became a pop culture icon.

Below, check out rare footage featuring Funicello in both TV and the film including the closing number of the Mickey Mouse Club, an appearance with The Beach Boys in the film 'The Monkey's Uncle,' appearing with frequent co-star Frankie Avalon in 'Beach Blanket Bingo', and a performance of "Jamaica Ska" in BACK TO THE BEACH, the beach party reunion movie of the 1980s.

Source: NY Times Arts Blog