Kabosu, the famous meme dog, has died

Pour one out Friday for Kabosu, arguably the most famous dog on the Internet.

The “doge” has died at 18.

The rescued Shiba Inu not only became a meme star thanks to her suspicious expression, but a meme unto herself when the former shelter dog became the face of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin.

The dog’s owner, Atsuko Sato, posted on social media Friday that her famous four-legged friend had “crossed the rainbow bridge” at her home in Sakura, Japan. In a poetic blog post, Sato noted, “While being stroked by me/Like sleep/[She] passed away softly.”

According to the crypto site Coinjournal, Dogecoin’s price fell over 5% to $0.1535 following the news of the dog’s death.

The coin’s official X account noted in part, “The impact this one dog has made across the world is immeasurable. She was a being who knew only happiness and limitless love. Please keep her spirit and her family in your heart, and most importantly carry her with you as your story continues – we are all fortunate for hers to have touched and shaped ours.”

A farewell party for the pooch is scheduled for May 26 in Narita City, Japan.

In 2021, Kabosu’s image on an NFT sold for $4 million, a record for a meme-based non-fungible token.

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