Grumpy Cat Dies: Feline Star of TV & Internet Was 7

Some very sad news. Grumpy Cat, the Internet’s most famous feline with a perpetually
grouchy mug, has died. Grumpy Cat, whose real name was Tardar Sauce, died on Tuesday of complications from a urinary tract infection, according to her owners. She was 7.

“Besides being our baby and a cherished member of the family, Grumpy Cat has helped millions of people smile around the world — even when times were tough,” her owners said in an Instagram post announcing her death. “Her spirit will continue to live on through her fans everywhere.”

Grumpy Cat wasn’t actually always in a grumpy mood, her distinctive scowl was caused by a form of dwarfism.

She first became known to Internet audiences in 2012, after photos of her frowning face went viral. She went on to appear on TV, on hits such as American Idol, The Bachelorette and WWE’s Monday Night Raw.

In 2013 Grumpy Cat won meme of the year at the Webby Awards, beating out fellow nominees Gangnam Style and Harlem Shake. It was the following year that she landed her own Lifetime movie, Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever, featuring the voice of Aubrey Plaza as the title character.

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She later made her Broadway debut in a one-off appearance in, what else but Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats. In 2016, her sculpture was added to Madame Tussauds Las Vegas.

By the time of her death this week, Grumpy Cat had amassed nearly 4 million combined followers on Instagram and Twitter, with a Facebook page that boasts 8.5 million likes.

Social media erupted with tributes and offering condolences to her family, and of course, memes, following news her death.