NEWS: Margaret Kerry, Model for Disney's Tinker Bell, Has Passed Away at 97

An integral piece of a famous Disney character has passed away.

©D23

Actress Margaret Kerry has passed away at the age of 97. Kerry has several accolades across her long career, with her most notable role being the model for Tinker Bell in 1953’s Peter Pan.

In a Facebook post to Kerry’s page, her family shared, “It is with profound sadness that we share news of the passing of Margaret Kerry (Boeke), our beloved Tinker Bell. Margaret passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus on June 11, 2026, in Wilmington, North Carolina. Her three adoring children, Ellen, Christina, and Eric, were with her as she lost her courageous battle with lung cancer at the age of ninety-seven.” They continued to say, “And remember, on any given night, look up into the night sky and search for that ‘Second Star to the Right’. Upon closer look, you might just notice that star shining a little brighter in Margaret’s honor.”

©Getty Images

Before modeling for Disney, Kerry starred as daughter Sharon Ruggles on the live ABC family sitcom The Ruggles from 1949 until 1952. This was one of the first TV shows to come from Hollywood and not New York. She later worked as a voice actress in Clutch Cargo in 1959, Space Angel from 1962 to 1964, Captain Fathom in 1965, and on The New Three Stooges in 1965.

Kerry is on the left on the top row. ©Everett Collection

Kerry starred with Eddie Cantor in If You Knew Susie in 1948 and was an assistant dance director on I’ll Get By in 1950, when her agent sent her to the Disney Studios in Burbank so she could audition for Peter Pan. In a previous interview, Kerry shared, “They were looking for a young girl who was comfortable with dance movement. How do you audition for animation and for a character who doesn’t speak? At home, I had a room set up, my dance room, with all these mirrors and a barre. So I got this little record player and put on an instrumental record and worked up a pantomime making breakfast to the beat of the record; you know, carrying eggs and maybe dropping one, closing the refrigerator door with one foot, etc., as much variety of movement as I could do in the context of a little story.”

©IMDb

Once she got the job, she worked for the next six to nine months, and she moved around on a soundstage that “seemed to go on forever,” wearing a bathing suit and her hair in a bun. During that time, she worked with men like Marc David and other Disney animators. Kerry said, “There was no one for me to react to. I had to imagine almost everything. There was an occasional prop like huge scissors or a wire-frame keyhole or something. Most of the time, it was just me pretending to be looking up from under something or walking around.”

©Disney

Tinker Bell went on to become a truly iconic Disney character who became a mascot for the brand in many ways. Tinker Bell opened each episode of The Wonderful World of Disney by sprinkling her pixie dust, and she still meets with fans in Disneyland to this day. She still has a presence over in Disney World in the Festival of Fantasy Parade and the finale of Soarin’. Tinker Bell eventually had her own series of films under the Disney Fairies brand. There is even a Tinker Bell-inspired ride in Tokyo Disney Sea.

Tinker Bell and Fawn in Disney World

In a 2020 interview, Kerry said, “They liked the character that I came up with. She’s feisty, and I call her beguiling. You love her if she’s very bad, and you love her if she’s very good.” Thank you so much, Margaret Kerry, for helping create a character we love so much. We are sending our thoughts to her family and friends at this time.