Disney Legend Wayne Allwine, the official voice of Mickey Mouse, passed away Monday, May 18, 2009 due to complications from diabetes. He was 62 years old.
Although others had voiced Mickey for various radio or theme park voice work prior to Allwine taking over the role, Allwine was considered the third “official” voice of Mickey, inheriting the role from master sound effects editor Jimmy Macdonald, who in turn was given the task directly from Walt Disney himself.
Starting with the animated 1977 television series, The New Mickey Mouse Club, Allwine voiced dozens of TV segments, movies, computer games, theme park attractions, and musical recordings as Disney’s top animated character.