NEW YORK — Doreen Tracey, a former child star who played one of the original cute-as-a-button Mouseketeers on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in the 1950s, has died, according to Disney publicist Howard Green. She was 74.
Tracey died from pneumonia Wednesday at a hospital in Thousand Oaks, California, following a two-year battle with cancer.
391064 13: Mouseketeers from 'The Mickey Mouse Club' attend the Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show June 23, 2001 at Beverly Garland''s Holiday Inn in North Hollywood, CA. Clockwise from top left are Cheryl Holdridge, Doreen Tracey, Tommy Col …
Tracey maintained ties to Disney and show business throughout her life, appearing in the film "Westward Ho the Wagons!" and touring with the Mouseketeers. She later served as a publicist to musician Frank Zappa and worked at Warner Bros.
"The Mickey Mouse Club" proved a sensation with its Oct. 3, 1955, debut. It flourished for two seasons, then was reduced to a half-hour for two more. Tracey stayed for its four-year run.