Perry, the Palo Alto Donkey Who Inspired Shrek's Sidekick, Dies at 30

Perry, the donkey who served as the real-life stand-in for the animated sidekick voiced by Eddie Murphy in "Shrek," has died at the age of 30.

The Barron Park Donkey Project, which cared for him, announced the news on Instagram. The group said he died from an incurable hoof disease. "We are heartbroken to share that our beloved Barron Park donkey, Perry, passed away yesterday at the age of 30," the project wrote. It added that he was "a beloved member of our community, and we know many people will be touched by his passing," and that memorial plans would be announced soon.

Perry was one of three donkeys living in a private, community-run pasture in Palo Alto. All three built up fan followings and received regular visitors. Perry lived there both before and after his time as a movie star.

According to the project's memorial post, he came to the pasture in 1997 at age 3, "young and feisty." In recent weeks, however, he had been in pain from laminitis, a painful hoof condition that cannot be cured. The handlers said he had to be euthanized.

The project remembered his "beautiful soulful eyes," his "sweet and gentle disposition" and his "amiable stroll to the pasture gate to greet his visitors." It also credited his contributions to "Shrek" as the motion model for the donkey character. The group said everyone was filled with sadness, but that in his final weeks he was suffering increasingly.

Laminitis is an inflammation of the tissue between the hoof and the underlying bone, known as the coffin bone, according to the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Center for Equine Health. The National Zoo says donkeys can live well into their 30s, with 33 years being the average lifespan.

Jenny Kiratli, one of Perry's handlers, told People that the donkey was woven into local life. "He was a part of the whole community, and everyone is mourning for him. So many people knew him," she said.

Kiratli also recalled his strong personality. "He had a huge personality," she said, adding of the film's Donkey character: "I can attest that many of Donkey's classic head tilts, eye rolls and bouncy trots were straight from Perry."