The Keyboard Cat has died and the internet is in mourning

We regret to inform you that Keyboard Cat is dead.

Bento, the plucky ginger cat who probably featured in your news feed as a meme more times than you could be bothered to count, died on March 8.

He was nine-years-old. 

News of his passing broke on Friday after his human, Charlie Schmidt, posted a loving tribute to Bento on YouTube.

Updates on the Keyboard Cat Facebook page and Twitter account followed shortly after. 

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The tribute is a compilation of Bento’s greatest videos which, in light of the sad news, might make you a little emotional.

“I adopted Bento in 2010 from a shelter,” Schmidt said in one of the clips.

“As it turns out, we have very similar personalities and this cat makes me make art.

“He’s my best friend.”

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The story of the Keyboard Cat starts in 1984, when Schmidt recorded his late cat Fatso 'playing' the keyboard in a blue button up shirt. 

As we learned from Know You Meme, the VHS footage was then posted to YouTube in 2007, originally titled “Cool Cat”.

Thanks to the strange, strange nature of the internet, the footage became popular. 

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According to an article from The Guardian, Fatso died in 1987.

But Bento was his reincarnation and with his beautiful spirit, Schmidt made music again. 

News of Bento’s passing has spread around the world as people mourn the loss of this iconic feline.

Fans have taken to social media to pay their respects, with Bento’s passing even touching the heart of the Grumpy Cat:

People were upset:

Goodbye, Bento.