Tarzan's chimp Cheetah dies aged 80

Celticfire

Cheetah the chimpanzee from the Tarzan movies of the 1930s has died at the age of 80.

The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbour, Florida, announced on its website that Cheetah died on December 24 of kidney failure.

Sanctuary outreach director Debbie Cobb told The Tampa Tribune that Cheetah was outgoing, loved finger painting and liked to see people laugh. She said he seemed to be tuned into human feelings.

Cheetah was the comic relief in the Tarzan series starring American Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller.

Ms Cobb said Cheetah came to the sanctuary from Weissmuller's estate sometime around 1960.

Ms Cobb said Cheetah was not a troublemaker. Still, sanctuary volunteer Ron Priest said when the chimp did not like what was going on, he would throw faeces.

Holy crap... 80yo chimp.... never had an idead they could live so long.

RIP little monkey..

Run_to_da_hills

RIP and condolences to his family

My name is URL

Pray for Mojo

44leto

I wonder what he died of.

80 years I never thought any of our simian cousins had that long of a lifespan.

Wertz

Not a monkey.

80's some age for a chimp. Doubt they'd live that long in the wild. Many humans won't see that age.

Biggins

Just think, that monkey outlived many a dictator, film (inc Tarzan and Jane) and music stars along the way, as well as many others!

Maybe he and they in their own way, are sometimes more lucky than humans!

MagicMarker

Apparently the average life span in the wild for a chimp is 45 years. :eek:

ejmaztec

Biggins wrote: »

Just think, that monkey outlived many a dictator, film (inc Tarzan and Jane) and music stars along the way, as well as many others!

Maybe he and they in their own way, are sometimes more lucky than humans!

Apart from spending 99% of his life behind bars for a crime he didn't commit.:(

mattjack

What a month , first Kim Jong-iL ,now Cheetah...can it get any worse ?

ScumLord

Celticfire wrote: »

RIP little monkey..

Monkey? That's a terrible insult to give this primate on his death bed, you should be ashamed sir.

Biggins

ejmaztec wrote: »

Apart from spending 99% of his life behind bars for a crime he didn't commit.:(

He should have contacted the A-Team!

Dravokivich

Ah, he was no Clyde.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHeRaAy3cWQ

:cool:

ejmaztec

Biggins wrote: »

He should have contacted the A-Team!

He tried but it got lost in translation.:(

galwayrush

MagicMarker wrote: »

Apparently the average life span in the wild for a chimp is 45 years. :eek:

So he cheetahed death for 35 years....:D

PseudoFamous

I'm usually surprised when I hear an animal is older than 20. That's a seriously long life.

Plazaman

44leto wrote: »

I wonder what he died of.

Rumour has it he turned to hard drugs in his teens as he couldn't handle the filmstar lifestyle. Despite many attempts to get him into rehab, he continued to drink heavily and go to swinging parties. His gambling addiction only compounded his problems and he was thrown out of the 1952 World Poker Finals for having a fifth ace. Branded a cheetah, the name stuck and he went into hiding near Sierra Nevada where he took to script writing for US Sitcoms. He sobered up and lived on the straight and narrow but when his 5th wife Jenna (a bolivian orangutan) died in 2004 he went back to his old ways and his extravagant tastes for vintage vines were well known. There was $8.68c and 2 bananas in his bank account at time of his death. SIP.

ejmaztec

Was he the one on the drums, or was that Micky D?

Stiffler2

44leto wrote: »

I wonder what he died of.

80 years I never thought any of our simian cousins had that long of a lifespan.

Did you even read the OP's post ??
It says Kidney Failure

Nothingbetter2d

galwayrush wrote: »

So he cheetahed death for 35 years....:D

after all that money the chimp's trainer got for those movies you expect the chimp to have his own personal vet. At least the vet didnt feed too many sleepers to his boss :P

Celticfire

ScumLord wrote: »

Monkey? That's a terrible insult to give this primate on his death bed, you should be ashamed sir.

He's not on his death bed...... he's dead... :pac:

Ungowa Cheetah

Ellis Dee

His co-star Maureen O'Sullivan was Irish and lived to 87.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/111228125601-cheetah-dies-tarzan-story-top.jpg

SisterAnn

Good interview with her broadcast on the wireless lately. She didn't care much for Weissmuller - he was a bit arrogant.

44leto

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Did you even read the OP's post ??
It says Kidney Failure

I was to upset to

I just assumed it was old age.

I wonder did he outlive "Boy"

Chuck Stone

Goodnight sweet prince of the primates

CrazyRabbit

He was a better actor than many human actors today.

Biggins

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

He was a better actor than many human actors today.

...That certainly includes a lot of soaps from what I can see just in the trailers for them alone!

ItsAWindUp

What an age:eek:

theholyghost

Hmmm, I think it was pretty well proved a few years ago that this is not the chimp in all those movies but rather a chimp approximately half the age claimed, who more than likely never appeared in any movies. But the media don't pick up on these things.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/25/AR2008112500939.html?hpid=features1&hpv=national

Yakult

Goodnight sweet prince.

Nodin

Sanctuary volunteer Ron Priest conceded the animal had a habit of throwing his faeces when discontented. "When he didn't like somebody or something that was going on, he would pick up some poop and throw it at them," Priest said. "He could get you at 30 feet, with bars in between."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/dec/28/chimp-cheeta-cheetah-tarzan-dies
A chimp after me own heart.....

kevmol88

Mia Farrow earlier today

"My mom,Tarzan's Jane, referred to Cheetah-the-chimp as 'that bastard' - saying he bit her at every opportunity. Cheetah lived to be 80"

garbanzo

kevmol88 wrote: »

Mia Farrow earlier today

"My mom,Tarzan's Jane, referred to Cheetah-the-chimp as 'that bastard' - saying he bit her at every opportunity. Cheetah lived to be 80"

Disgraceful comments, speaking ill of the dead like that. And the poor hoor still warm and furry....

ejmaztec

garbanzo wrote: »

Disgraceful comments, speaking ill of the dead like that. And the poor hoor still warm and furry....

More like cold, stuffed and furry.:(

Nodin

ejmaztec wrote: »

More like cold, stuffed and furry.:(

I went out with one like that.

Johro

I think I know her.

Johro

Out before 'yore ma!'.

smokedeels

We are the 96% percent.

maglite

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jyLJW2HslZGPBp7WSVv8sWwX0ZcA?docId=e3e4e0fc60d647f49dcfa2e5271e535f

WE might be 70+ years late.

Capt'n Midnight

SisterAnn wrote: »

Good interview with her broadcast on the wireless lately. She didn't care much for Weissmuller - he was a bit arrogant.

At age nine, Weissmüller contracted polio.
...

His first competition was in 1921 where he swam the 100 yards junior and lost. He would never again lose an official competition.

July 9, 1922: Johnny Weissmuller breaks the minute barrier when he swims the 100 meters freestyle in 58.6 seconds. ... In the 1924 Olympics he took three golds and one bronze medal while in the 1928 Olympics he took another two golds. He also won 52 US national championships and set 67 world records.



I'd probably be a tad arrogant too

Kim_Il_Jong

A message from Karl Pilkington follows.

A'ri ... I seen there bout the monkey off tarzan an that.
Was gonna see about puttin it in monkey news.
Lots of monkey stuff goin on at the minute.
I see theres gonna be a monkey priest at the burial.
But im stressed out with other stuff.
Haven't ad a proper holiday this year, can't be doin with it.

SisterAnn

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

At age nine, Weissmüller contracted polio.
...

His first competition was in 1921 where he swam the 100 yards junior and lost. He would never again lose an official competition.

July 9, 1922: Johnny Weissmuller breaks the minute barrier when he swims the 100 meters freestyle in 58.6 seconds. ... In the 1924 Olympics he took three golds and one bronze medal while in the 1928 Olympics he took another two golds. He also won 52 US national championships and set 67 world records.



I'd probably be a tad arrogant too

Ah he was something else in the pool no doubt. Sounded from the interview though that he was in last position in the race to win her affection. Sure she could have been a wagon too. Who really knows?
Remakes are all the rage in the movie world now. Will they draft in Phelps?!:D

3ndahalfof6

PseudoFamous wrote: »

I'm usually surprised when I hear an animal is older than 20. That's a seriously long life.

Frank the tortoise is 148 at the moment.