TikTok Monkey With 17 Million Followers Dies Suddenly After 'Horrific' Vet Appointment

Beloved TikTok-famous monkey George, also known as Georgie Boy, has died. His family announced Tuesday that the mischievous monkey, who sparked attention for adorably opening packages in clips shared to the short-video app, passed away on Monday, June 7 at the age of 12 after a regular checkup at the vet went horribly wrong.

George's family shared the news in a video shared to TikTok, which was simply captioned, "We love you, George," announcing that they "have devastating news." According to the family, "George went to the vet for a regular check-up on his teeth," but faced complications with the anesthesia during the procedure that started "a long fight for his life." His family said that "through the fight, George was sent thousands of thoughts and prayers with the hope that he would make it," but he sadly passed away Monday afternoon.

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We love you, George ❤️

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"On June 7th at 4pm Central Georgie Boy passed away," his family shared the tragic news. "George was a light when things seemed dark. And he was a reminder of the love that exists in all of us. Though the fun-loving life of George has left, his spirit of hope and love lives on. We love you, George."

After joining his family in Texas a decade ago as an emotional support animal, George rose to viral fame thanks to the adorable videos of him opening packages. Posted to multiple social media platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, the videos showed George opening gifts from fans around the world that included everything from snacks, toys, fan art, stickers, and much more. The videos amassed a massive following, with the adorable monkey racking up 17.6 million followers and 202.6 million likes on TikTok alone. Unsurprisingly, news of his death devastated fans.

Reacting to news of his passing just after the announcement, with TikTok star Remi Bader commenting, "I feel like this is a bad dream…I'm hysterically crying. My heart is broken and I can't imagine how you're feeling. The videos of George made me and my dad so happy and I can't believe this." Another fan recounted how they and their daughter "watched George all the time." That fan added, "I am soooo sorry!!! Omg…this is so sad!!!" A third person commented, "I'm so sorry for you loss, he was so special. Thank you for sharing him with us…you will live in our hearts forever George."