A Hollywood veteran best known for his role in the 1996 comedy “Happy Gilmore” died Sunday, May 11, nearly 30 years after the film’s release.
The Colorado Gators Reptile Park, an exotic animal sanctuary, confirmed the news of the retired movie star’s death on Facebook, writing that they were “sad to report the passing away of our oldest alligator, Morris.”
Morris appeared in a variety of other films and television shows from 1975 to 2006, including “Dr. Dolittle 2,” “Interview with the Vampire,” “Eraser,” “Night Court” and “Blues Brothers 2000,” before retiring to the reptile park. He also made a cameo appearance with Steve Irwin on “The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno.”
“While we knew this was inevitable, we are very saddened by his passing to old age,” the sanctuary wrote in a May 11 Facebook post. “RIP Morris.”
Jay Young, who runs the Colorado Gator Farm, told USA TODAY that he noticed something was wrong when he brought him food and he didn’t eat it.
“I thought, ‘Well, maybe, he’s just not hungry. He ate too much the other day,'” Young said. “Two weeks ago, he was trying to eat dogs and kids through the fence. He was fine a couple weeks ago.”
Young stepped into his closure to check on him and when Morris didn’t attack him, which was not like him at all, he attempted to force-feed him. But Morris swam toward the other side of the pond and spit it up.
“A lot of the times, it’s like, ‘Oh, we could have done this differently or sooner.’ In this case, I don’t think there’s anything we could have done differently,” Young said. “It’s said, but it’s not as tragic.”
The Colorado Gator Farm revealed May 12 that Morris would be taxidermied “so that he can continue to scare children for years to come.”
From humble beginnings to Hollywood: Who was Morris the alligator?
Before Morris made it big in Hollywood, he was kept as an illegal pet.
Fortunately for Morris, he was eventually placed in the care of animal wrangler Jim Brockett, who supplied animals for films and TV shows. That’s how Morris began his illustrious career in show business.
“Brocketts Film Fauna had him from 1975 to 2006,” Young said. “He was nine feet long when they got him in 1975. They didn’t know his exact age, maybe 20 to 50 years, but he worked in the film industry for 31 years.”
Brockett reached out to Young in 2005, asking if he was able to care for “this big alligator” he couldn’t handle anymore.
Morris lived with Young for almost 19 years in his own habit, perfect for feeding, lounging and spending time with ex-girlfriends Paris and Britney, or at least until they moved out.
Young estimates that Morris, based on his growth rate and tooth loss, must have been over 80 years old when he died.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Morris, the alligator from ‘Happy Gilmore,’ dies at over 80
