A statement on Kerry’s Facebook page noted that fans will notice a “star shining a little brighter in Margaret’s honor” after her death on June 11.

Disney’s live-action Tinker Bell model, Margaret Kerry, dies at 97

A statement on Kerry's Facebook page noted that fans will notice a "star shining a little brighter in Margaret’s honor" after her death on June 11.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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June 12, 2026 10:50 a.m. ET

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Margaret Kerry at the 90th Anniversary of the Art of Animation Celebration in 2004; Tinker Bell from 'Peter Pan'. Credit:

- Disney icon and *Peter Pan* model Margaret Kerry has died at age 97.

- Kerry was the live-action inspiration for the animated Tinker Bell character in the animated classic.

- A statement online announced that Kerry died after a battle with lung cancer.

Margaret Kerry, a Disney icon and live-action *Peter Pan* inspiration for the beloved Tinker Bell character, has died at age 97.

Kerry's family announced news of her death via Facebook, with a post revealing that she died Thursday surrounded by her family in North Carolina.

The statement confirmed a cause of death, with the family telling fans that Kerry "lost her courageous battle with lung cancer" with her children, Ellen, Christina, and Eric, by her side.

Kerry's husband, Robert Boeke, died less than one month earlier on May 24. The statement from Kerry's family called their love story "truly remarkable" after they first met 70 years ago, but went their separate ways before reuniting and rekindling their love in 2019.

Margaret Kelly holds up a photo of 'Peter Pan' character Tinker Bell.

Mike Fanous/Getty

Referencing her *Peter Pan* legacy and a key song from the film, the statement urged fans: "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."

Kerry was renowned for her work in serving as the inspiration for Tinker Bell, the animated character Disney popularized in the 1953 classic film. And, though she was never formally inducted into the Disney Legend roster, her version of Tinker Bell went on to become an unofficial representative for the company with heavy usage across its animation and theme park divisions.

Kerry worked with legendary Disney animator Marc Davis to hone the character — a process she reflected on in a *Woman's World* interview just last year.

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Kerry recalled asking Davis about his vision for Tinker Bell's design: "I said, ‘What do you want her to be? Ditzy like Betty Boop? Above it all like the Queen of the Angels?’” she recalled, adding, “He said, ‘Margaret, we want her to be you.’”

"I said, 'Golly, I can do that,'" Kerry said, adding that Davis allowed her to work with him to turn Tinker Bell "into a dancer" in the finished product, taking inspiration from Kerry's expertise in ballet.

“At that time, they didn’t have electronics. Everything was done by hand,” Kerry explained, “So, they cast a person in the role and then filmed them with 35-millimeter film ... a man on a little cart with a pad that came out, and that was the camera.”

Tinker Bell, Peter Pan, and Wendy in Disney's 'Peter Pan'.

Across a nine-month production period, Disney filmed Kerry's movements and translated them to the screen in the finished product.

"They would process the film, and then pick out the main frames. Marc Davis would do what he wanted with that frame and start the movement. And the in-betweeners would do each frame or every other frame, all by hand," Kerry said. "Six-hundred and fifty thousand pieces of art were done for that movie."**

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"Margaret 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," the family's statement about her death continued. "Margaret 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."

** has reached out to Disney representatives for comment on Kerry's death.

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