Editing Annette Funicello (section)

===Illness and death===
In early 1987, at around 45 years old, Funicello reunited with Frankie Avalon for a series of promotional concerts to promote their film ''[[Back to the Beach]]''. She began to experience dizziness, headaches, and balance issues and was diagnosed with [[multiple sclerosis]]. For the next five years, she hid her condition from her family and friends until 1992 when she finally publicly disclosed her diagnosis<ref>{{cite web
  | title = Annette Funicello Fund For Neurological Disorders
  | publisher = California Community Foundation
  | year = 2008
  | url = http://www.calfund.org/8/giving_funicello.php
  | access-date = January 28, 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080123173306/http://www.calfund.org/8/giving_funicello.php| archive-date= January 23, 2008 | url-status= dead}}</ref> to combat rumors that her impaired ability to walk was the result of alcoholism.  In 1993, she opened the Annette Funicello Fund for Neurological Disorders at the [[California Community Foundation]].<ref name="Annette Funicello Research Foundation">{{cite web|title=Annette Funicello Research Foundation |url=https://www.calfund.org/page.aspx?pid=638 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511015708/https://www.calfund.org/page.aspx?pid=638 |archive-date=May 11, 2013 }}</ref>

The Canadian program ''[[W5 (TV program)|W5]]'' profiled Funicello in 2012 after 15 years out of the public eye, revealing that her disease had severely damaged her nervous system. She had lost the ability to walk in 2004, had lost the ability to speak half a decade later in 2009 and required a [[feeding tube]], needing round-the-clock care in order to survive. Funicello's close friend [[Shelley Fabares]] also appeared in the profile piece.<ref name="Life With MS">{{cite web|title=Annette Funicello: Her life with multiple sclerosis|date=October 5, 2012|url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/annette-funicello-her-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-1.984202|publisher=CTV|access-date=October 12, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGV7fyW82lM| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/XGV7fyW82lM| archive-date=November 14, 2021 | url-status=live|title=Annette Funicello_life with M.S.-Mid Oct 2012 / Passed April 8th 2013| date=April 18, 2013|access-date=August 13, 2021|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

On April 8, 2013, Funicello died at age 70 at Mercy Southwest Hospital in [[Bakersfield, California]], from complications attributed to multiple sclerosis. Her family and Fabares were with her when she died.<ref>Silverman, Stephen M. (April 8, 2013), [http://www.people.com/people/mobile/article/0,,20201344,00.html "Annette Funicello Dies at 70 After Long Battle with MS"]. People.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2013.</ref> A private funeral was held at the Cherished Memories Memorial Chapel in Bakersfield.<ref>[http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/funerals/x511836372/Funeral-services-for-April-11-2013 "Funeral Services For April 11, 2013"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203032359/http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/funerals/x511836372/Funeral-services-for-April-11-2013 |date=December 3, 2013 }}, ''The Bakersfield Californian'', April 11, 2013. Retrieved on April 23, 2013.</ref> Commenting on her death, [[the Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Company]] chairman and CEO [[Bob Iger]] said: <blockquote>Annette was and always will be a cherished member of the Disney family, synonymous with the word Mouseketeer, and a true Disney Legend. She will forever hold a place in our hearts as one of Walt Disney's brightest stars, delighting an entire generation of baby boomers with her jubilant personality and endless talent. Annette was well known for being as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, and she faced her physical challenges with dignity, bravery and grace. All of us at Disney join with family, friends and fans around the world in celebrating her extraordinary life.<ref name="Iger Statement">{{cite web|title=Beloved Disney Mouseketeer and Iconic Teen Star Annette Funicello Dies at Age 70|date=April 8, 2013 |url=http://d23.disney.go.com/news/2013/04/beloved-mouseketeer-and-iconic-teen-star-annette-funicello-passes-away/|publisher=D23|access-date=April 8, 2013}}</ref></blockquote>