The Mickey Mouse Club and its reboot, The All New Mickey Mouse Club, launched many careers in acting and music, including stars like Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, who have recently been in the spotlight due to their troubled pasts and the way their lives have unfolded.

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake

In her memoir, The Woman In Me, Britney Spears recalls kissing Justin Timberlake during a Mouseketeer sleepover when she was barely a teenager. “A Janet Jackson song was playing in the background as he leaned in and kissed me,” she wrote. However, other Mouseketeers like Dennis Day, Jimmie Dodd, and Marque Lynche had much more tragic ends.

Britney started drinking at the age of 13 and progressed to drug use by 15. During her Disney years, she battled alcoholism, addiction, and mental health problems, which led her father to take complete control of her finances and life, including her diet, career, and even reproductive health. This conservatorship lasted until 2021.

Marque Lynche’s Death

Marque Lynche died at 34 due to “acute and chronic alcoholism,” according to the New York City Chief Medical Examiner. A few days after his roommate found his body, a police report accused him of attacking an officer who tried to arrest him for bypassing a subway turnstile, although witnesses debunked this allegation.

Tiffini Hale’s Cardiac Arrest

Tiffini Hale, who joined the cast for the reboot and was a member of the pop group The Party before their split in 1993, died in 2021 after falling into a coma due to cardiac arrest. Her ex-bandmates Deedee Magno, Chase Hampton, Albert Fields, and Damon Pampolina confirmed her death on social media, writing, “Early this month, she suffered a cardiac arrest that resulted in her being left in a coma. After many prayers and with her family by her side, our dearest Tiff took her last breath Christmas morning. She is now resting peacefully.”

Justin Timberlake’s Behavior

After breaking up with Britney, Justin Timberlake went on a smear campaign against her, referring to her as a cheat in his 2002 track “Cry Me A River” and openly discussing their sex life in interviews. After being called out in the Framing Britney Spears documentary, Justin apologized online, stating, “I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”

Dennis Day’s Disappearance and Death

Dennis Day, a Mouseketeer in the original show’s first two seasons, went missing in July 2018. His decomposed body was discovered the following year in his Oregon residence. The corpse was identified through dental records, and a live-in handyman, Daniel James Burda, was eventually charged with crimes linked to Dennis’ murder.

Darlene Gillespie’s Legal Troubles

Darlene Gillespie, a pioneer Mouseketeer, faced several arrests and charges. She was first sentenced alongside her fiancé after they were caught stealing at Macy’s. She was later arrested on 26 charges, including lying under oath during an investigation into whether she used bad checks to buy $827,000 worth of stocks.

Jimmie Dodd’s Death

Jimmie Dodd, the show’s adult host, was working on a new show when he died of an undisclosed illness at 54 in Honolulu. He remained with Disney after the show was canceled and continued to host International Mouse Club tours and reruns.

Annette Funicello’s Battle with Multiple Sclerosis

Annette Funicello, one of the most popular and beloved members of the club, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1992. Rumors about her alcoholism circulated on social media. After battling the disease for two decades, she died in 2013 at the age of 70.