The popular Japanese shiba inu Kabosu, the face of dogecoin and several other doge memes, passed away early Friday, May 24, his owner confirmed.
"On the morning of the 24th of May, Kabosu crossed the rainbow bridge. Thank you all so much for your support over the years. She went very peacefully without suffering, as if falling asleep while feeling the warmth of my hands petting her," his owner Ms Sato, a teacher in Japan, said in an Instagram post.
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"Thank you all so much for loving Kabosu all these years. I am certain that Kabosu was the happiest dog in the world. That makes me the happiest owner in the world," she said.
"I would like to express my deepest appreciation to everyone who has sent us much love to us."
Kabosu became an internet sensation when a 2010 photo of him with crossed paws and a slight smirk spread on Reddit and Tumblr.
His viral meme picture inspired the creation of dogecoin (DOGE) in 2013, initially starting as a joke currency.
DOGE’s success later birthed a whole cohort of dog-themed tokens such as shiba inu (SHIB) and floki (FLOKI), which have since cumulatively become one of the industry’s biggest sectors.