Original Mouseketeer Karen Pendleton Dies Age 73

Oct 09, 2019

One of the nine original Mouseketeers from “The Mickey Mouse Club,” Karen Pendleton, has passed away at the age of 73.

It is confirmed from Disney historian Lorraine Santoli in The Hollywood Reporter that Pendleton died from a heart attack in her Fresno, California home last Sunday. 

Pendleton is one of the only children who appeared on the entire run of the historic TV show, after she was selected from auditions at a Los Angeles dance school. She was a Mouseketeer for four years from 1955-59, regularly entertaining viewers who tuned in every weekday.

Later in life, she finished high school and went on to get married and have a daughter. She divorced her husband in 1981 and a few years later was tragically paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident.

She earned a psychology degree and went on to work at a shelter, advocating for battered women. Pendleton also served as a board member at the California Association of the Physically Handicapped.

She is survived by her daughter and two grandchildren.

"My mom loved her Mouseketeer family," her daughter, Staci, noted in a statement. "Getting together with them was always a high point. It gave her the opportunity to relive great memories and to meet so many Mickey Mouse Club fans that watched the show as kids and loved her. Many told her that they named their daughters Karen in her honor."

Rest in peace Karen Pendleton, thank you for the memories. Were you a “Mickey Mouse Club” fan of the original show or the updated version that came out years later? Let us know in the comments below.