Russi Taylor, the original and longtime voice actress of Minnie Mouse, passed away on July 26th at the age of 75. This news comes directly from
Disney themselves.
For thirty years, Taylor provided her voice to the character of Mickey Mouse's sweethear in a plethora of animated shorts, television series, feature films, video games, and theme park experiences. The voice actress was married to Wayne Allwine, who served as the third voice actor of Mickey Mouse (after Walt Disney and Jimmy MacDonald). He passed away back in 2009.
Bob Iger, the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, has shared a statement in regards to the saddening news. You can check that out below:
Minnie Mouse lost her voice with the passing of Russi Taylor. 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. It was a privilege to have known her and an honor to have worked with her, and we take comfort in the knowledge that her work will continue to entertain and inspire for generations to come. Russi will be sorely missed and our hearts go out to her family and friends, along with our deepest condolences.
Beyond the role of Minnie Mouse, Taylor also voiced the trio of Huey, Dewey, and Louie in the original DuckTales animated series. She also provided her voice to roles in TaleSpin, The Little Mermaid, Kim Possible, The Rescuer's Down Under, Sofia the First, The Lion Guard, Tangled: The Series, and many more.
Another notable character that Taylor voiced would be Martin Prince from The Simpsons. He's an intellectual classmate of Bart Simpson and is often bullied due to his smarts. She'd voiced Martin since 1990.
Similar to Iger, the voice actor behind the character of Goofy, Bill Famer shared his condolences: “Russi was as close as family; as wonderful, funny, and sweet as Minnie Mouse, and as talented yet humble as you would expect. I will deeply and dearly miss her.”