The gator that starred in such films as “Happy Gilmore” has died at the age of at least 80 years old.
Colorado Gator Farm, where Morris lived, said that his age was based on his growth rate and tooth loss, The Associated Press reported.
When he died, he was 10 feet, 11 inches long and 640 pounds, The New York Times reported.
But when he was found in the 1970s, he was 9 feet long, only growing two inches over the decades, the farm’s owner, Jay Young, said in a video. He also hasn’t shed since he started living at the farm in 2006. That indicates that he was, according to Young, “80, 90, maybe 100 years old.”
Young, fighting back tears and stroking the gator’s head, said Morris “started acting strange about a week ago. He wasn’t lunging at us and wasn’t taking food.”
Morris was discovered living in the backyard of a home in Los Angeles as an illegal pet.
He became an animal actor in 1975 and retired in 2006 after appearing in films like “Interview with the Vampire,” “Dr. Dolittle 2″ and “Blues Brothers 2000.” Morris also had a career on the small screen, appearing in shows like “Coach,” “Night Court” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” the AP reported.
His most famous appearance was in “Happy Gilmore” when Adam Sandler’s character faces off with the gator after hitting a golf ball that ends up in the reptile’s mouth.
Sandler paid tribute to Morris on Instagram.
The Colorado Gator Farm said on Facebook there are plans to keep Morris around, having him taxidermied, “so he can continue to scare children for years to come. It’s what he would have wanted.”
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