ANNETTE

Annette--when I was a girl, every girl wanted to BE her--every boy wanted to HAVE her. It is especially poignant to me how she is still able to affect us, as she hasn't appeared on screen since the Frankie Avalon movies. She touched our childhood and our teenage years and I am melancholy today at her passing.

When I heard that Annette had died, I immediately e-mailed my brothers. One of my brothers said that the only reason the boys watched the Mickey Mouse Club was to watch Annette GROW! We love John Fogerty's song I Saw It On TV (listen below) for a number of lines in it, but today I think of this one:

"Annette had ears, I lusted in my heart."

I saw Annette interviewed in 1994 on The Tom Snyder Show (see clip below) and she was there to talk about her teddy bears which she sold on QVC. When a female caller told how she had affected girls of her generation, Snyder interjected that she had also affected boys. Everyone understood the suggestion, but Annette just smiled and answered sweetly, as if she didn't know WHAT he meant.

ANNETTE FUNICELLO

1942-2013

R.I.P., sweet Annette!