Records of his death did not surface until being researched 21 years after his body was found in a hotel . He died alone. Animated, freckle-faced Mickey was recommended to Hal Roach for the "Our Gang" series by still photographer Gene Kornman, a good friend of the family who was also the father of the Gang's original female member Mary Kornman. The very first Hal Roach film in the series was shot in the spring of 1922 and released on November 5th. It was entitled simply Our Gang (1922) and told the story of widowed mother and store owner who was losing her customers due to the unethical methods of a nearby competitor. Mickey and the rest of the kids decide to stage a show for her with pet animals and its success leads to a resurgence of business once again. Sadly, no negatives or complete prints exist and is considered a lost film. One of ten children, his actor father, Richard Daniels occasionally appeared with Mickey in the "Our Gang" shorts. They also appeared together in several of Harold Lloyd's features. Mickey's brother, Leonard, worked in the transportation department for the Roach Studios for at least two decades.