Well, this has been a fairly sad week of saying good-bye to cultural icons. We now add Grumpy Cat, whose sad face launched over a thousand memes, to that list who includes Tim Conway, Doris Day and Peggy Lipton. She was seven.
The cat, whose name was actually Tardar Sauce, passed away the morning of Tuesday May 14, according to a tweet released by her owners.
“Despite care from top professionals, as well as from her very loving family, Grumpy encountered complications from a recent urinary tract infection that unfortunately became too tough for her to overcome,” she tweeted, adding, “Besides being our baby and a cherished member of the family, Grumpy Cat has helped millions of people smile all around the world — even when times were tough. Her spirit will continue to live on through her fans everywhere.”
Some days are grumpier than others… pic.twitter.com/ws209VWl97
— Grumpy Cat (@RealGrumpyCat) May 17, 2019
The feline’s assent to fame began when the brother of her owner, Tabatha Bundesen, posted a picture to Reddit in 2012. The post received more than one million views in 48 hours according to CNN.
It was later remixed and turned into thousands of memes on social media sites, with captions such as: “I HAD FUN ONCE… IT WAS AWFUL.”
ALSO READ: Tim Conway, star of ‘Carol Burnett Show’ dies
However, the cat’s consistent sad face was not in fact due to her temperament, but an unusual combination of an underbite and feline dwarfism, a form of genetic mutation.
Grumpy Cat also appeared on TV shows and became a spokescat for Friskies cat food and Honey Nut Cheerios. The cat also inspired a multiple licensing opportunities for the Bundensens.
By Friday, Grumpy Cat had 1.5 million followers on Twitter, 2.4 million on Instagram and 8.5 million on Facebook according to The Wrap.
Rest in Peace, little kitty.
Source: Multiple
