Man believed to be first 'Mickey' dies

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 12 (UPI) -- The man many believe was the first "Mickey Mouse" at Florida's Walt Disney World has died at age 60, a spokesman at the park said.

Doug Parks was widely believed to have been the theme park's first Mickey Mouse, but a Disney official would only confirm that he was an entertainment cast member and longtime employee, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Parks, of the tiny community of Gotha, Fla., died Aug. 29, the newspaper said Saturday. Just 55 inches tall, Parks was the perfect size to be Mickey Mouse, the report said.

A story and picture of him that appeared in the newspaper in 1971 identified him as Disney World's first mouse, and he later trained a pair of substitutes.

"For four decades, Walt Disney World was a better place thanks to Doug and his contributions," Walt Disney World Resort President Meg Crofton said in a letter to his family. "He was an important part of our business of making dreams come true."

Ralph Parks said is brother never weighed more than 95 pounds.

"He was a little fellow … he had a giant personality," Ralph Parks said.

Survivors also include his mother, Margaret, and brothers, Paul and Lowrey; all live in Central Florida.