The Tragic End of Toni Basil, the "Mickey" Singer Who Never Saw a Dime

In 1982, executives told Toni Basil she was too old to be a cheerleader on camera. She wore her real high school uniform anyway and shot the "Mickey" video in one take. It hit number one and changed pop culture forever. For decades, "Mickey" played at every football game, every commercial, every nostalgia playlist. But she got pennies. In 2017, she discovered her music rights had been shuffled between offshore companies like poker chips. By the time she won in court, she was 78 years old. This is the story of a hit song that made millions for everyone except the woman who created it.