Correction: A previous version of this article misstated how long Henry had lived at Dickerson Park Zoo.

Henry, the beloved hippo who lived at Dickerson Park Zoo for 30 years, has died. Henry had been sick for more than two months.

Henry was 36. The median life expectancy for male Nile hippos is 35.

Henry was moved last summer to the new $8 million Hippo Cove at the Cincinnati Zoo.

"We’re very sad to announce that our beloved Henry has died," Cincinnati zoo staff posted on Facebook Tuesday. "Our care team did everything they could for him but he continued to lose weight and was becoming weaker and weaker. After an exam this morning, vet staff determined that Henry’s quality of life would not improve and made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize him."

Not long after Henry moved to Cincinnati, his new female partner, Bibi, was pregnant. Their daughter, Fiona, was born premature and has since become an internet sensation as the zoo continually shares videos and photos of her progress and eventual reunion with Bibi and Henry.

A day in the life of Fiona the baby hippo

In recent weeks, Hippo Cove has been closed from time to time to allow veterinarians to examine Henry and for the care team to offer favorite foods and "provide TLC."

"He continues to have no appetite and treatment has not improved his condition," zoo staff posted on Facebook on Oct. 18. "His care team has been working tirelessly to keep him comfortable and help him fight this illness. Please keep Henry in your thoughts and prayers."

The zoo had Henry's blood tested after he lost his appetite and became lethargic back in August.

Former Springfield resident Henry the Hippo finds love in Cincinnati

"Within 24 hours we had our answers. Henry's white blood cell count revealed that his body was fighting a very serious infection," a blog posted on the zoo's Facebook page said. "Additionally, and even more worrisome, Henry's kidneys appeared to be shutting down."

About a week later, his blood was tested again and almost all of Henry's blood values were within normal range, the blog said.

"It was encouraging information, but it did not explain why Henry's behavioral health continued to deteriorate,"

Henry the Hippo was 7 months old when he came to Springfield's Dickerson Park Zoo in 1982. For a time, Henry had a female companion. But for 30 years, Henry had lived a solitary life at Dickerson Park, which is not good for a hippo.

And for a long time, he lived in what zoo experts consider cramped quarters.

Mick Crocker is zoo director at Dickerson Park Zoo.

“We are all saddened with Henry’s death. He was undoubtedly the most popular animal at Dickerson Park Zoo,” Crocker said in a release. “The outpouring of messages from social media, guests, letters and phone calls shows how much Henry meant to our community.”

Henry, along with female partner Bibi, went to Cincinnati as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP), a program dedicated to the survival of endangered animals, the release said.

“It is important to remember that through the SSP, Henry left a legacy in Fiona," Crocker said. "His bloodline has made a remarkable contribution to the future of the hippopotamus population."

Stephen Evans, a financial adviser from Springfield, said he grew up loving Henry.

"I was born in '80 and he came here in '82," Evans said. "I was excited when he got to to go to a new home and I'm super sad that it didn't work out for him.

"I've never followed the health condition of a hippo before. I've been following this for the last several months," Evans added. "We've got Fiona, so that's pretty cool."