Wishing Upon a Star

Eddie Carroll, voice of Disney’s most sanctimonious character, has died of a brain tumor at the age of 76. Carroll inherited the role of Jiminy Cricket from Cliff Edwards in 1973, and became the longest-serving voice for a single character in Disney history as the money-grubbing Mouse stuck the little locust in any commercial, video game or amusement park ride he could find. His other “voice” was Jack Benny, who he impersonated for friends before starting the one-man show "A Small Eternity With Jack Benny," in 1983, and then writing his own tribute, "Jack Benny: Laughter in Bloom," the following year and taking it on tour through last year. Also of note, he was the uncle of Baywatch’s Erika Eleniak.