NEWPORT — Judge, a crowd-pleasing otter who played hide-and-seek with visitors, has died at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. He was 17.

The aquarium said Friday that Judge died of complications of old age, including arthritis and pneumonia.

He was found stranded as a small pup and took part in the aquarium's surrogate mother program.

After seven failed attempts to release Judge into the wild, he made the aquarium his lifelong home.

Judge was famous for serenading trainers with a low wailing sound -- and his keepers would sing back to him.

He also was the centerpiece of a 2013 ad campaign.

Judge was an ambassador for Pacific Northwest otters.

He was one of the aquarium's four rescued males that comprised the largest group of permanent, resident sea otters in Oregon.

-- The Associated Press