Mickey Rooney Jr., legendary actor’s son and original Mouseketeer, dead at 77
confirmed the news to the Hollywood Reporter. She noted that the musician died from unknown causes at his home in Glendale, Arizona.Rooney Jr. was an original Mouseketeer who appeared on Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Club” in 1955 alongside his brother Tim.He also was a born-again Christian, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, and performed in bands with singer Willie Nelson.The Birmingham, Alabama, native appeared alongside Nelson on the silver screen in 1980’s “Honeysuckle Rose” and 1984’s “Songwriter.” His first film role was in the 1966 movie “Hot Rods to Hell.”His former “Mickey Mouse Club” castmate Paul Peterson penned a tribute to Rooney Jr. on Facebook over the weekend.“I first met Mickey, the oldest of nine siblings sired by his famous father when he and Timmy were hired by Disney to be Mouseketeers in 1955,” Peterson began.