‘Minnie Mouse lost her voice’: Disney legend Russi Taylor dies at 75
Russi Taylor, who voiced Disney’s Minnie Mouse, passed away at 75 on Friday.
The Disney legend, who died in Glendale, California, has lent her iconic voice to the character for more than three decades.
She first assumed the role more than 30 years ago and gave voice to Minnie in hundreds of Disney projects — from television to theme park experiences, animated shorts and theatrical films.
“Minnie Mouse lost her voice with the passing of Russi Taylor,” Bob Iger, Disney chairman and chief executive officer, said in statement.
“For more than 30 years, Minnie and Russi worked together to entertain millions around the world — a partnership that made Minnie a global icon and Russi a Disney Legend beloved by fans everywhere. We’re so grateful for Russi’s talent as well as the tremendous spirit and great joy she brought to everything she did.”
Taylor was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 4, 1944, and wished to work for Disney since she was kid.
“When I was a little girl, I was with my mom and my brother, and it was late at night at Disneyland. We had just come off the Mark Twain Riverboat and were getting some popcorn. I looked over and saw Walt sitting on a bench, so we introduced ourselves and shared our popcorn with him. At one point during our chat, he asked me what I wanted to do when I grow up, and I said, ‘I want to work for you!’ So he said, ‘Okay!’ — and now I do!” Taylor once said.
In 1986, she beat out 200 other candidates to win the role of Minnie Mouse, according to a Disney statement.
“You have to bring yourself to a character,” Taylor once said. “But because of this particular character, she actually enhances who I am, she really does. In a sense Minnie makes me better than I was before ’cause there’s a lot to live up to.”
As if it was written in a fairy tale, Taylor fell in love with Wayne Allwine, who had voiced Mickey Mouse since 1977, Disney said. They married in 1991 and were as inseparable as Mickey and Minnie.
Allwine passed away in 2009.
“Russi Taylor embodied the character of Minnie Mouse,” Rick Dempsey, senior vice president, Disney Character Voices, said in a statement. “She truly was one of the kindest, most gracious, upbeat and loving people I have ever had the privilege to work with and to count as a friend. The world has a lost a real treasure. She will truly be missed, but her voice will live on.”
Some of the films Taylor voiced Minnie Mouse in were “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Runaway Brain,” “Get a Horse!,” and “Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers.” She also appeared in shows such as the award-winning Mickey Mouse shorts series for Disney Channel.
“Russi was as close as family; as wonderful, funny, and sweet as Minnie Mouse, and as talented yet humble as you would expect,” Bill Farmer, the voice of Goofy, said in a statement. “I will deeply and dearly miss her.”
Russi’s other Disney voices included Nurse Mouse in “The Rescuers Down Under,” as well as Donald’s nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, and their friend Webbigail Vanderquack in the original “DuckTales” animated series.
She also voiced roles on other TV animated series like “TaleSpin,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command,” “Kim Possible,” “Sofia the First,” “The Lion Guard” and “Tangled: The Series.”
“I never wanted to be famous,” she once said. “The characters I do are famous, and that’s fine for me.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2019 at 6:38 PM with the headline "‘Minnie Mouse lost her voice’: Disney legend Russi Taylor dies at 75."
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