Disney's official fan club has just broken the news on Twitter:
Annette Funicello has died at age 70.
The actress, singer and beloved Mousketeer had been hospitalized in Bakersfield due to complications from multiple sclerosis, according to Extra.
Her family confirmed to Extra that Funicello died from complications of multiple sclerosis. They were by her side when she was taken off life support. Funicello had been in an MS coma for years, reports the site.
Funicello was 12 when she became a Mouseketeer. As a teen, she was launched on a successfull singing and acting career, but she really gained popularity when she co-starred with Frankie Avalon in a series of "Beach Party" movies in the mid-1960s.
In 1992, Annette announced she had MS.
Funicello was married to her first husband, Jack Gilardi, from 1965 until 1981, and had three children. In 1986, she married California harness racing horse breeder/trainer Glen Holt.
