Cheetah, chimpanzee star of Tarzan films, dies in Florida at 80

A chimpanzee who starred in Tarzan films in the 1930s has died at the age of 80, according to the sanctuary where he lived. The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor said he died on Saturday of kidney failure. He had acted alongside Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan in Tarzan films from 1932-34. The animal loved fingerpainting and watching football, and was “soothed by Christian music”.

Sanctuary spokeswoman Debbie Cobb told the Tampa Tribune that Cheetah came to live at Palm Harbor from Johnny Weissmuller’s estate in about 1960. Chimpanzees in zoos typically live 35 to 45 years, she said. It is not clear what lay behind Cheetah’s longevity, or what evidence there is for it.

via BBC News

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano’) about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.