Nyan Cat, the rainbow cat meme we all know and love, was originally an image created by Chris Torres. It is known. Torres based the lovable image on his cat, Marty. Unfortunately for Torres, Marty was diagnosed with feline infectious peritonitis — basically a death sentence for cats. This was only a week ago. Last night, Marty passed away in Torres’ arms, bringing an end to the cat’s unexpected celebrity status.

Mashable explains:

Nyan Cat celebrated its first birthday in April, and has outlasted the lifespan of most Internet memes. The 8-bit rainbow Pop Tart [sic] cat continues to entertain the masses with its adorably infectious song — and will no doubt continue to be played, in Marty’s honor, for a long time to come.

One wonders if Pop-Tarts sales will actually see a bump as the Internet continues to mourn the loss of the original Nyan Cat. Even if not, folks can still pay their respects by listening to what Torres’ page refers to as “Sad Nyan Cat :(” in order to pay their respects.

(Nyan Cat via Mashable, image via Chris Torres)

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