Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney dies, aged 93

Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney has passed away at the age of 93.

The actor died of natural causes after a long battle with ill health, surrounded by family at is Los Angeles home.

Rooney started his career in his parents’ vaudeville act while still a toddler, and broke into movies before age 10.

He was still racking up film and TV credits more than 80 years later — a tenure likely unmatched in the history of show business.

“I always say, ‘Don’t retire — inspire,” he said in March 2008. “There’s a lot to be done.”

Among his roles in recent years was a part as a guard in the smash 2006 comedy A Night at the Museum.

Rooney won two special Academy Awards for his film achievements, and reigned from 1939 to 1942 as the No. 1 moneymaking star in movies, his run only broken when he joined the Army. He later won an Emmy and was nominated for a Tony.

At his peak he was the incarnation of the show-biz lifer, a shameless ham and hoofer whom one could imagine singing, dancing and wisecracking in his crib, his blond hair, big grin and constant motion a draw for millions.

Rooney’s first wife was the glamorous Ava Gardner, and the star then went on to marry seven more times, fathering seven sons and four daughters.