Karen Pendleton, ‘Mickey Mouse Club’ Star, Dead at 73

The Disney series, The Mickey Mouse Club, lost one of its original members over the weekend. It was revealed that Karen Pendleton died of a heart attack on Sunday. She was 73 at the time of her passing.

Pendleton appeared on the show for all four years from 1955-59. She was one of just nine kids who had the honor of being on the series from start to finish. For fans of the show, Pendleton was among the youngest members in the cast and was known for sporting her blonde, shoulder-length curly hair.

After appearing on the series, Pendleton opted to pursue a career elsewhere in the business world. In 1983, her life took a turn for the worse when she was involved in a serious automobile accident that wound up paralyzing her from the waist down. In a wheelchair from that point forward, the California native advocated for various groups, including the California Association of the Physically Handicapped.

Jim Hill, a Disney historian, was the first to provide the news of her death.

Her daughter, Staci, provided a statement on her mother’s legacy. Pendleton also leaves behind two grandchildren.

“My mom loved her Mouseketeer family,” she shared “Getting together with [her co-stars] was always a high point. It gave her the opportunity to relive great memories and to meet so many Mickey Mouse Clubfans that watched the show as kids and loved her. Many told her that they named their daughters Karen in her honor.”

The Mickey Mouse Club was created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions. Over its four-year run, the show aired 360 episodes. Since the original show aired, there have been multiple revivals.

The most notable of the reboots was The All-New Mickey Mouse Club that debuted in 1989 and ran until 1994. This marked the launching points for many notable celebrities in today’s landscape, including Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Keri Russell and Ryan Gosling among others.

There has also been a recent adaptation. In 2017, Club Mickey Mouse debuted. It’s solely viewed on social media. The show’s episodes are streamed on Facebook and Instagram. Todrick Hall was among the mentors with Jennifer Chia serving as the host.