{"id":2059,"date":"2026-06-14T07:06:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T07:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2059"},"modified":"2026-06-14T07:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T07:06:09","slug":"margaret-kerry-actress-who-inspired-tinker-bell-dies-at-97","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2059","title":{"rendered":"Margaret Kerry, actress who inspired Tinker Bell, dies at 97"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The model and actor who inspired the Tinker Bell character in the 1953 animated Disney classic \u201cPeter Pan\u201d has died.<\/p>\n

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Margaret Kerry\u2019s family said the 97-year-old performer died Thursday in North Carolina from lung cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMargaret was deeply grateful for the extraordinary life that she enjoyed and felt tremendously blessed by her loved ones and the countless friends and fans that she met along the way,\u201d her family wrote on Facebook. \u201cMargaret wanted everyone to know that she was at peace and ready for this next journey in her life, secure in the knowledge that God was eager to bring her home, with Him, into heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerry was born Margaret McCarty in Illinois. Her mother died during childbirth, according to Deadline. She was raised by her adoptive parents in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Kerry appeared in numerous TV programs including \u201cThe Lone Ranger,\u201d \u201cThe Andy Griffith Show\u201d and \u201cThe Ruggles,\u201d in which she starred as Sharon Ruggles.<\/p>\n

Perhaps her most famous role came in the form of live-action work for \u201cPeter Pan\u201d animators who crafted the teeny Tinker Bell character in her likeness. She also voiced a mermaid in that movie, according to IMDb.<\/p>\n

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Kerry is survived by children Ellen, Christina and Eric. Kerry was preceded in death by her husband, oil executive Robert Boeke, who died on May 24.<\/p>\n

According to her family, Kerry and Boeke were first \u201csweethearts\u201d more than 70 years ago, when they were married to their careers.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYet in 2019, the two reconnected to rekindle their love and enjoyed six wonderful years of marriage. It is like a fairy-tale to know that they passed so very close in time to one another\u2014perhaps a testament to the love they shared,\u201d their loved ones recalled.<\/p>\n

Kerry\u2019s remembrance concludes with a line paraphrased from \u201cPeter Pan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd remember, on any given night, look up into the night sky and search for that \u201cSecond Star to the Right,\u201d it reads. \u201cUpon closer look, you might just notice that star shining a little brighter in Margaret\u2019s honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Actor Margaret Kelly, who starred in “The Ruggles” and inspired the “Peter Pan” Tinker Bell character, had died from cancer. She was 97.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMargaret Kerry, actress who inspired Tinker Bell, dies at 97 - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2059\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Margaret Kerry, actress who inspired Tinker Bell, dies at 97 - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Actor Margaret Kelly, who starred in "The Ruggles" and inspired the "Peter Pan" Tinker Bell character, had died from cancer. 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