Grumpy Cat dies at age 7
Grumpy Cat, the internet sensation famous for her permanent scowl, died at the age of 7, her owners confirmed on Friday.
"Despite care from top professionals, as well as from her very loving family, Grumpy Cat encountered complications from a recent urinary tract infection that unfortunately became too tough for her to overcome," they said in a statement shared to Twitter.
"She passed away peacefully on the morning of Tuesday, May 14, at home in the arms of her mommy, Tabatha."
Her family, based in Morristown, Arizona, said they were "unimaginably heartbroken over the loss.
"Some days are grumpier than others," they tweeted.
The frowning feline, whose real name is Tardar Sauce, took the internet by storm in 2012 when her owner, Tabatha Bundesen's, brother shared a photo of her cat's notoriously sour expression on Reddit. Within the first 48 hours, Grumpy Cat was upvoted more than 25,000 times on the platform and more than a million people viewed her photos on Imgur.
Grumpy Cat sparked thousands of memes, nabbed a Friskies sponsorship and made the rounds on morning talk shows like "Good Morning America" amid her internet fame. In 2014, she even got her own movie.
"Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever" premiered on the Lifetime Television Network in November that year, with "Park's and Recreation" actress Aubrey Plaza lending her voice to the title character. She also had a whopping 8.5 million Facebook fans, 2.4 million followers on Instagram, 1.5 million followers on Twitter and more than 260,000 subscribers on YouTube.