Wayne Allwine, Voice of Mickey Mouse, Dies

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
By: Thomas J. Mclean

Wayne Allwine, who provided the voice of Mickey Mouse since 1977, died Monday at UCLA Medical Center from complications related to diabetes. He was 62.

Allwine took over the role of Disney’s signature character from Jimmy MacDonald, first voicing the mouse in the animated lead-ins to the TV series The New Mickey Mouse Club. He went on to voice Mickey in the 1983 theatrical featurette Mickey’s Christmas Carol and was the official voice of the character until his death.

Allwine’s wife of 20 years, Russi Taylor, also a voice actor, has been the voice of Minnie Mouse since 1986.

Allwine came to work at the Walt Disney Co. in 1966, starting out in the mail room and moving on to the sound effects department.

In addition to voicing Mickey in such projects as The Prince and the Pauper, A Goofy Movie, Fantasia 2000 and the Kingdom Hearts video game series, Allwine worked as a sound editor on such films as Something Wicked This Way Comes, Psycho III, Innerspace, Three Men and a Baby and Alien Nation. He was a sound effects editor on The Good Mother and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and a foley artist on Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend and Frankenweenie.

He won an Emmy Award in 1986 for his sound editing work on the TV series Amazing Stories.

He is survived by his wife and five children from previous marriages: Erin, Alison, Peter, Christopher and Joshua; and a grandson, Isaac. Funeral services will be private, though a a celebration of his life is planned with details to be announced.

In Allwine's memory, flowers or toys can be sent in Mickey's name to Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, or donations can be made to such charities as the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Guide Dogs of America, or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Reader Comments

• CMerry : www.HappyLOLDay.com

  Thursday, May 21, 2009

  You were the voice of Mickey I knew, thanks for giving him a sweet soul, you really breathed life into him, thanks so much.

• Sternoff :

  Thursday, May 21, 2009

  When you do the math, Wayne Allwine did Mickey Mouse longer than either Jim MacDonald or Walt Disney. This stat needs to be carved in stone and locked deep inside the Disney archive.

• Daryl T : student :

  Thursday, May 21, 2009

  Thankyou Wayne Allwine for breating life into the world\'s most famous mouse

• shakeem winn : writer n artist : winn ltd.

  Thursday, May 21, 2009

  I show him and his wife in a interview which was given by Leonard Maltin on the Mickey classics DVD. They seemed like really nice people. Rest in peace my friend. I enjoyed your work for many years.

• David Magliocco : Owner/Artist : Driscal Designs/driscal.com

  Friday, May 22, 2009

  So sad... to keep losing good people... He was a very talented man, and will be missed... How lonely it\'ll be for his wife, Minnie, to lose her Mickey... My 2 1/2 year old daughter will not know or understand that her precious Mickey has gone away...

• mallesh : char- rigger/ modeler : DQE ltd.

  Sunday, May 24, 2009

  feeling so sad... he is der in every ones heart,
  \\\"heart of mickey\\\" he is still alive...