Heidi is dead

Facebook fans and Twitter users around the world are mourning the loss of Heidi, the cross-eyed opossum who became an unlikely star of the Internet age.

The Leipzig Zoo announced Wednesday that Heidi's keepers had decided to put the three-and-a-half year-old animal to sleep to "spare her further pain and suffering." They had been treating her for weeks for arthritis and other symptoms of old age.

"The cross-eyed opossum Heidi has closed her eyes for ever," the zoo said.

Heidi's distinctive eye problem was thought to be a result of a poor diet before she was abandoned earlier in life, or because she was overweight, leading to fatty deposits behind her eyes.

The marsupial first attracted attention at the end of last year after she was featured on a local television report. A clip from that report went viral on the Internet.

Heidi has more than three times more Facebook admirers than German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Author: Joanna Impey (AFP, AP)
Editor: Martin Kuebler