Overview
- Margaret Kerry died on June 11, 2026, in Wilmington, North Carolina, at age 97 after a battle with lung cancer with her three children at her side.
- She spent about six to nine months on a largely empty Burbank soundstage performing pantomime in a bathing suit so animators could film her movements as reference for the silent Tinker Bell.
- Kerry also voiced the redheaded mermaid in Peter Pan and went on to a long career in early TV, film and voice work, including The Ruggles, Clutch Cargo, Space Angel and Captain Fathom.
- Her family noted that her husband, Robert Boeke, died on May 24, 2026, and asked that donations be made to Wilmington’s Thalian Association Community Theater in lieu of flowers.
- The Walt Disney Archives confirmed her passing and paid tribute, and museum displays have preserved artifacts linking Kerry’s live-action work to the long-running Tinker Bell mascot and fan events.