Her legions of fans have adored her for nearly six decades, and her husband of 25 years, Glen Holt, couldn’t be more devoted. And Fair World Magazine :: All of Annette’s Disney and entertainment career memorabilia was lost. Did you find what you were looking for? I'm sad to learn of Glen's passing. Annette’s two best friends from childhood, original Mouseketeer Sharon Baird and actress Shelley Fabares, express their love by visiting on a regular basis. When she began working for the Disney studio, she suggested to her employer that she change her Italian family name of Funicello to something more "American", as was often done in those days. Born on October 22, 1942 in Utica, New York, the family had moved to California when she was still young. It was created to fulfill Annette’s wish to provide funding into the cause, treatment, and cure of multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases. Glen D. HoltFebruary 12, 2018 - December 19, 1930. Although Annette Funicello has faced many difficult challenges during her extraordinary life, if there’s one constant that has carried her through it all, it’s knowing that she is truly, unconditionally, and unequivocally loved. Entertainment Television, LLC A Division of NBCUniversal. They presented the idea to "Mr. Disney", as Annette always called him and with whom she was still under contract. Receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993, Annette was eventually wheelchair-ridden and went into complete seclusion.Following a tragic March 2011 incident in which their Los Angeles house burnt to the ground and both Annette and husband Glen were hospitalized with smoke inhalation, the couple moved to Bakersfield, California.
While Glen was at every performance helping his wife on to and off the stage, the one place he couldn’t be was onstage, and he needed Frankie to be her guardian. Glen was such a wonderful husband and caregiver, a true angel. The world fell in love with Annette shortly after Walt Disney discovered her in 1955 while performing in Swan Lake with her dancing school at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank. It is possible that … I looked him up today after watching the video because I wanted to write and see if he was still alive and write him and just tell him how touched I was by watching him on the video taking care of Annette. They tied the knot in 1986—and he told CTV W5, "I don't regret it by one iota. She made her well as other Disney film vehicles for several years, including The Shaggy Dog (1959), Babes in Toyland (1961) and The Monkey's Uncle (1965). So sorry about Mr Holts passing..I just saw a utube video when he was taking care of his dear wife Annette ..they are now together..God Bless them both:). In loving memory of a wonderful person. Sorry to hear of his passing and my sincere condolences to the family.
She and Holt lived in her longtime Encino home until it was destroyed in a 2011 fire. He was drawn to the charismatic young girl and invited her to audition for a new kids show he was producing: the Mickey Mouse Club. The very first, and very large, arrangement that arrived contained a small card that read. But she can't do it. Annette Joanne Funicello achieved teenage popularity starting in October 1955 after she debuted as a Mouseketeer. Mr. Holt had a love of horses from the time he was a child. I just watched a video and saw what a devoted partner he was to Annette. Most important, he kept telling himself to stay calm.
Remember to sign in or join D23 today to enjoy endless Disney magic! She kept her condition a secret and felt that this was necessary to go public in order to combat rumors that her impaired ability to walk was the result of alcoholism. I want her to be able to be outside and feel the sunshine, breathe the air, and see people who still come up to her to say hello.”. He was the first trainer in California to have a swimming pool built for training horses and he was frequently sought out to train and race horses from stables across the country, Canada, France, New Zealand and Australia. I can also identify with the feelings and struggles he endured when he was making such a brave and loving attempt to help cure his wife. I looked up Mr. Holt after watching a video of him caring for Annette in her battle with M.S. | Psalm 145:18..20, Sorry and my condolences to the Holt family, guardian of Annette Funicello~ `Ed~~ sho buz~~~, Share to let others add their own memories and condolences. This article, written by Lorraine Santoli, originally appeared in the Summer 2012 issue of Disney twenty-three. He enjoyed telling the story about when a FBI agent came to Kern County from Washington for an instructive firings course.
We’d always say hello, and I’d chat with her mom and dad. She was the oldest girl to be cast as a Mousketeer on the "Mickey Mouse Club" (1955). Her three children are all married, and she’s even a grandma three times over.
From the mid-1960s to the 1970s, Mr. Holt traveled the circuit in California. But one thing that hasn’t been taken away is how much she is loved by her husband, friends, and fans alike.
But then I didn’t see her again until several years after her divorce, when she started visiting the track again.”. She was recovering at home.
Being diagnosed with MS myself 7 years ago, I admire your compassion and care for your beloved.
He was an actor, known for A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story (1995), Fame, Fortune and Romance (1986) and Biography (1987). Battling multiple sclerosis for more than 20 years has taken its toll on the former Disney and Beach Party star, but Glen is Annette’s knight in shining armor. In October, Funicello's husband, Glen Holt, allowed Canada's CTV W5 News into their home to shed light on the toll that multiple sclerosis had taken on his wife after nearly 25 years. He took such great care of his Family. See full bio » :: Most Famous For: Widower of Annette Funicello ", NEWS: Britney Spears "devastated" by Annette Funicello's passing, Holt, a former horse breeder, was Funicello's second husband. When she was cast in her first beach movie. To everyone's surprise, he gave his consent, with the only condition being that she make sure her navel was completely covered by a one piece bathing suit.
That is the most updated information I could find. ). We will love you and miss you always. I have a longtime friend who is battling this same form of the disease and now cannot communicate at all. Although Annette Funicello has faced many difficult challenges during her extraordinary life, if there’s one constant that has carried her through it all, it’s knowing that she is truly, unconditionally, and unequivocally loved.
"A big, nice look at me with those big, brown, bright eyes is telling me 'thank you,' you know. Many of the original Mouseketeers—Sharon Baird, Bobby Burgess, Tommy Cole, Lonnie Burr, Doreen Tracey, Cubby O’Brien, Don Grady, and Sherry Alberoni—stay in touch and visit.
It is with deep sadness to share that our beloved dad, Pops and friend, Glen D. Holt passed away on Jackson was a longtime friend of Annette's parents Joe and Virginia, and wanted to do something special for their daughter in connection with his restaurant's opening. To the Holt Family, I just saw a video about Glen Holt which I learned he passed away 2018. Annette was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative nerve disorder.
For more information on The Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases, please Battling multiple sclerosis for more than 20 years has taken its toll on the former Disney and Beach Party star, but Glen is Annette’s knight in shining armor. On his days off from the Shafter Police Department, he would go to the two local racing stables, one owned by Bill Lachenmeier and the other by Joe O'Brien. Glen Holt is currently single. She did, and was personally selected by Walt to be the 24th and last Mouseketeer cast for the series’ first season. Especially cherished and gone were two personal letters from Walt Disney. Whenever anyone spoke of Annette, no last name was ever needed as everyone knew who you were talking about.The popular teenager became synonymous with wholesome entertainment and was borrowed by Danny Thomas in 1959 to play Gina, a foreign exchange student, on The Danny Thomas Show (1953) (aka "The Danny Thomas Show") and also that same year had a recurring role on the Disney television series Zorro (1957). “I told her a long time ago, before she was ever diagnosed with MS, that I would always take care of her, and I will always … Shafter Queen, a broodmare at Diamond HR, received numerous awards as California Broodmare of the Year. My brother died from M.S., and it's a heartbreaking situation to see someone you love fall prey to the affects of this insidious disease. Official Sites, Underwent brain surgery to slow down the tremors which result from her multiple sclerosis.
She became the most famous spokesperson for the disease. After he finished the 3 week course the agent wanted to shoot against him. She hid her condition for five years before making a formal announcement (in 1992) for fear that her uncontrollable movements might be characterized as drunkenness. In 1986, they were married. © 2020 Horseman Publishing Co., Lexington KY, All Rights Reserved. We have to suspect that there are a few million others who feel the same way. “The Walt Disney Company is replacing a few of the most important items that she lost in the fire, like her bronze Disney Legend Award and a statue of Walt and Mickey Mouse.”. | She was 17 years old at the time the Sweetheart of the Valley Mayors honor was given to her. He was an admirable man who had deep loving feelings of devotion and commitment to his wife, Annette. visit annetteconnection.com. I tried so hard, like Glen, to keep her alive and never lost hope and I was with her at Hospice when I heard her take her last breath. Following her death, she was cremated and interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) in Los Angeles, California.
I heard so many stories about you from my grandfather Bill Lebo (Arville Dee Holt). In 1986 he married Annette Funicello and was a faithful husband and caregiver to her until her passing in 2013. She spent her final years mostly confined to a wheelchair that was specially designed by her horse-trainer husband with a seat from a harness-racing sulky. Interestingly, while Annette could be treated by MS specialists anywhere in the world, the one person she thought could help her was no longer around. Her home suffered major fire damage and wheelchair-bound Annette and her husband were hospitalized and treated for smoke inhalation.
“It was about 7 o’clock in the morning when one of our caregivers woke me and told me that she smelled smoke,” Glen says. She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 14, 1993. They started with a clear Lucite cane, upon which they hand-painted all of the highlights of her Disney television, movie, film, and music career. !Hollywood South ~~~`, Glen Holt as an Annette funcellio fanI know your in heaven with Annette you meet each other again.I'm glad you were there for her and never left her side.You sure we're generous when people needed help when they needed itYou were a good father friend and husband.Good horse owner too I will miss you and herYour Annette funcellio fanHeidi b rourke. “Those reports are absolutely false,” he tells Disney twenty-three. Annette's life was filmed as a television movie with A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story (1995) co-starring her good friend, Shelley Fabares. Publicity Listings He died on February 12, 2018 in Bakersfield, California, USA.
Seeing him care for Annette, seeing how wonderful he was to her makes him a person you never forget. His career in the sport spanned 50 years and one of the highlights was being the leading driver at the 1971 Cal Expo meeting. Both are do greatly missed. All rights reserved. He was highly respected by his peers in the Harness Horse business. Walt Disney himself saw her performing the lead role in "Swan Lake" at her ballet school's year-end recital in Burbank and decided to have her audition along with two hundred other children.