Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon have announced the death of their social media star cat Ollie.
The couple shared the news on Twitter along with pictures of their pet, who died on Tuesday at the age of 16.
Gervais wrote: “Just had to say goodbye to the sweetest little soul I’ve ever known. RIP Ollie
“July 9th 2003 – March 10th 2020.”
Author Fallon posted: “I have awful news. My smart, funny, feisty, beautiful sidekick of the last 16 & a half years @myleftfang has passed away after a sudden down turn in her health at the weekend.
“My heart is broken in two. I have no idea what I’m going to do without her by my side. #Ollie.”
The couple were given Ollie by Jonathan Ross on his Friday night chat show in 2003 and the cat was popular in her own right, with a Twitter account that had more than 60,000 followers.
The biography on Ollie’s Twitter account, run by the couple, said that she was “3/8 BURMESE, 1/8 SIAMESE, 1/4 CORNISH REX, 1/4 DEVON REX, 1/2 ENGLISH, 1/4 FRENCH CANADIAN,1/4 IRISH & 100% CAT!”
The social media page was full of pictures of her along with humorous captions written in the style of a cat.
Shortly after her death was announced, “RIP Ollie” trended on Twitter.
Gervais later thanked fans for their tributes to his pet, writing: "A heartfelt thank you for all your lovely tributes to @myleftfang.
"I can't quite bring myself to respond at the moment, but your kindness is very much appreciated."
In 2017, Fallon told ITV’s Lorraine that she was hoping Ollie, who was 13 at the time, had another “20 years in her”.
She added: “I love her… Home isn’t home without an animal, there’s something about having animals around the place that, I don’t know, makes it feel like a much nicer place.”
With reporting by Press Association.
