We may almost be done with 2018, but 2018 isn't done with us. Not by a long shot. So on Thursday, just in time for the holidays, the Oregon Zoo announced the beloved slam-dunking sea otter, Eddie, had died.
Here is fluffy Eddie taking a nap:
Most sea otters don't live past 15 years old, but Eddie was nearly 21 when a sharp decline in health prompted zoo officials to euthanize him.
Beyond being one of the oldest-known sea otters in the world, Eddie was celebrated around the globe for his basketball skills, as in, he could dunk.
#OtterGifParty for Eddie the slam-dunking sea otter. He will be missed. https://t.co/ZUh3h6EOkU
Eddie's life of fame started when he was orphaned as a pup along the California coast in 1998. After he was rehabilitated at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, he was deemed non-releasable by wildlife officials and in 2000 was brought to the Oregon Zoo.
"He was quite feisty as a young otter, and we still saw that spirit come through during his later years," Amy Cutting, who oversees the zoo's marine life area, said in a statement.
Twelve years after his arrival, Eddie needed therapy for arthritic elbow joints, so zoo keepers trained the aging otter to dunk a toy basketball, a video of which quickly went viral.
Eddie also had a knack for, ahem, ~pleasuring~ himself in public, as in, full-on autofellatio.
So when 2018 came for him, people were pretty upset about losing something so pure.
2018 can go the hell. Eddie was the 🐐 of the otters. https://t.co/aif7WGSUjs
Sorry I can't write today I'm grieving for Eddie the basketball playing otter 😢😢😢
I will be mourning for the next 7-10 days and taking all my meals on my belly. RIP Eddie. 😢 https://t.co/j1euA7kFti
RIP Eddie, otter of many talents.
Farewell to Eddie the sea otter, dead at age 20. He charmed @OregonZoo visitors with his basketball antics, and boy, did he love to masturbate. https://t.co/vLgrLv908h
In memoriam:
In loving memory of Eddie. At nearly 21, he was one of the oldest and most-loved sea otters on the planet.