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Gina Gilardi Bleifer nonetheless has fond memories of her mother Annette Funicello.

The legendary Disney Mouseketeer passed away in 2013 from complications due to multiple sclerosis, a affliction she battled for more 25 years. She was 70 years old.

Bleifer, 54, told Closer Weekly for the magazine'southward latest outcome there is i memory of her famous female parent that still makes her grinning today.

At the time, Bleifer and a friend came home from a high school dance one nighttime in the '80s when they heard loud music blasting from her bedroom.

"We opened the door to notice my mom sitting at my desk, fake microphone in hand, singing 'The Best of Times' by Styx at the top of her lungs," Bleifer recalled to the outlet. "Nosotros laughed until we cried."

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(Original Caption) Actress Annette Funicello cuddles her newborn son, Jack, Jr., at St. Joseph's Hospital. looking on is the proud father, Jack Gilardi, and their daughter, Gina, 4.

(Original Explanation) Actress Annette Funicello cuddles her newborn son, Jack, Jr., at St. Joseph's Hospital. looking on is the proud father, Jack Gilardi, and their girl, Gina, 4. (Photograph past Getty Images)

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Bleifer's brothers Jack Jr., 49, and Jason, 45, also shared they have wonderful babyhood memories, all cheers to Funicello.

"She was very loving and family-oriented," Jason told the magazine. "She always preferred spending time with her family over living the Hollywood life."

"She was the best — sweet, beautiful and patient withal stern," added Bleifer. "We had rules, and we were given so much honey."

Bleifer likewise revealed that despite her mother'due south many accomplishments, her biggest goal was to get a hands-on parent.

"Her dream in life was ever to be a mom," she explained. "I constitute an old letter of the alphabet the other day where she told her friend that she thought she might be pregnant [with me]. She was beyond thrilled to have a baby equally this was what she had been praying for. Reading her words fabricated me cry and miss her then much."

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Annette Funicello and Jimmie Dodd on "The Mickey Mouse Club" television show, Hollywood, California, May 1956.

Annette Funicello and Jimmie Dodd on "The Mickey Mouse Club" tv show, Hollywood, California, May 1956. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)

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In March 2018, those who knew Funicello told Closer Weekly just every bit the star charmed fans with her sweet, sunny personality on screen, she was genuinely the real bargain.

"All of us were picked considering we were the kids next door," fellow Mouseketeer Tommy Cole told the outlet at the time. "Annette'south squeaky-clean image wasn't fake. She was a genuinely prissy person."

Cole as well revealed that even after "The Mickey Mouse Gild" came to an finish in 1959, the cast stayed in touch over the years.

"It didn't matter where Annette was, the Little League field or the University Awards, she was always effortlessly 18-carat," added Paul Peterson.

Cole, who would later become a makeup artist, revealed Funicello ever kept her fans in mind. When he told his dear friend to update her famous eyebrows for a new await, Funicello refused.

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Photo of Anette Funicello, circa 1970.

Photo of Anette Funicello, circa 1970. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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"She didn't want to modify her epitome," he said. "'[My fans are] used to seeing me a certain mode,' she explained. 'I don't want to hurt them or have them experience like I've washed something wrong.'"

Peterson even shared Funicello may have wanted to keep her MS diagnosis a secret to avoid pain her fans.

"She was hesitant to disclose her affliction considering she was afraid people wouldn't beloved her," said Peterson.

Still, Funicello would come forward in 1992. She hoped her story would help others facing the same health battle.

And even then, Funicello remained devoted to her loved ones.

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Photo of Annette Funicello.

Photograph of Annette Funicello. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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"My wife went through back surgery and was in bed for over a twelvemonth," said Cole. "Annette was sick and getting sicker, but she chosen my wife to make her experience better. That'southward the kind of person she was."

"She was still beautiful, even in a wheelchair," added Mouseketeer Johnny Crawford. "I wish I could talk to her again."

Funicello is still remembered by fans for her time on the iconic Disney prove.

Cast subsequently Walt Disney himself saw her at a trip the light fantastic recital, she soon began receiving 8,000 fan letters a month, 10 times more than than whatever of the 23 other young performers.

Funicello would continue to appear in Disney films, such every bit "The Shaggy Canis familiaris" and "Babes in Toyland," amidst others.

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In this Aug 20, 1957, file photo, Walt Disney's Mouseketeers enter a large trailer that serves as their school on the Disney lot in Hollywood, Calif. Greeting them is their teacher Jean Seaman of the Los Angeles Public School System. Jimmy Dodd, red-haired and fortyish, is master of Mouseketeer ceremonies. Mouseketeer Annette Funicello can be seen at far left.

In this Aug 20, 1957, file photo, Walt Disney's Mouseketeers enter a large trailer that serves as their schoolhouse on the Disney lot in Hollywood, Calif. Greeting them is their teacher Jean Seaman of the Los Angeles Public Schoolhouse Organization. Jimmy Dodd, red-haired and fortyish, is principal of Mouseketeer ceremonies. Mouseketeer Annette Funicello tin be seen at far left. (Photo by AP/Ernest K. Bennett)

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She too became a recording star, singing on 15 albums and striking singles, such as "Tall Paul" and "Pineapple Princess."

Funicello would also obsess audiences in '60s teen beach films, such as "Muscle Beach Party," "Bikini Beach," and "Beach Blanket Bingo," just to name a few.

She remembered in 1987: "Mr. Disney said to me i 24-hour interval, 'Annette, I accept a favor to inquire of y'all. I know all the girls are wearing bikinis, merely you have an image to uphold. I would appreciate it if you would clothing a one-slice accommodate.' I did, and I never regretted information technology."

Funicello would later on admit it became difficult at times to face her illness.

"I get downward sometimes — I'1000 not going to lie to you lot and say 'No, it doesn't bother me at all,'" Funicello told ET at the time. "Some days it does, when you think, 'Why me? Why me? I've never intentionally hurt anybody.' But there's a reason. There's a reason for everything. And maybe I tin can help others."

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Actress Annette Funicello, best known as a member of the "Mickey Mouse Club," suffered from multiple sclerosis.

Actress Annette Funicello, best known as a member of the "Mickey Mouse Club," suffered from multiple sclerosis. (Reuters)

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Funicello revealed she received plenty of support from fans and friends, including Frankie Avalon, also as Frank Sinatra and his wife Barbara.

"At present I'm not embarrassed to inquire for a wheelchair," she said. "That's another plus. So you attempt to find the good things that come out of anything, and there are proficient things."

Funicello would keep to speak openly about the degenerative effects of MS.

"My equilibrium is no more; it's just progressively getting worse," she said in 1995. "But I give thanks God I merely didn't wake upwards ane morning and not be able to walk. You lot learn to live with it. You learn to live with anything, you really practice."

She added, "I've always been religious. This only makes me appreciate the Lord even more because things could e'er be worse. I know he will see me through this."

The Associated Press contributed to this written report.