Mickey Rooney Jr., the eldest child of Hollywood actor Mickey Rooney, passed away on Saturday at his Glendale, Arizona, home. Mickey Rooney Jr. had a career in show business of his own that included being an original (albeit brief) Mouseketeer, an actor, and a member of Willie Nelson’s band. He was 77.
Paul Petersen, a former actor and the creator of the advocacy organisation A Minor Consideration, made the announcement of his passing. Rooney passed away quietly, according to Petersen, who shared the news on Facebook but did not provide a cause.
Rooney Jr. and his brother Tim Rooney, the first children of Mickey Rooney and his first wife, the singer Betty Jane Rase, were employed by Walt Disney in 1955 as the first Mouseketeers for The Mickey Mouse Club. Before the first season’s completion, both Rooneys and fellow Mouseketeer Petersen lost their jobs.
Mickey Junior was gifted and tall, according to Petersen’s Facebook post. He could act, dance, and sing, but he also got into trouble. We were all dismissed for behaviour befitting a mouse!
Later on, Rooney Jr. acted in a number of movies, such as the 1967 picture Hot Rods to Hell and the 1975 television movie Beyond the Bermuda Triangle. Rooney Jr., a multi-instrumentalist who played guitar, keyboards, and drums, started a band with his brother Tim in the 1960s and made an appearance on the TV music programme Shindig! Later, he collaborated with Willie Nelson in bands and made an appearance in Nelson’s 1980 motion picture Honeysuckle Rose.
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Later in life, Rooney Jr., who had battled addiction, experienced a conversion to Christianity and started an evangelical ministry.
According to Petersen, “Mickey Junior was the personification of ‘broken goods’.” “He offered everything he had. I share the same birthday as Mickey’s father, and ‘The Mic’ once offered me the best advice I’ve ever gotten—unsolicited, mind you. That he didn’t do the same for his son is among my deepest regrets. Junior Mickey Rooney At last, rest in peace. We’ll follow your instructions.
Chrissie Brown, Rooney Jr.’s companion, is still alive. Not all of the survivors’ details were readily accessible.
