Fans Mourn Death Of Real-Life Donkey That Inspired Eddie Murphy's 'Shrek' Character

Perry, a miniature donkey who lived in Palo Alto, California, was euthanized Thursday after suffering from a painful and debilitating hoof disease.

Perry, the miniature donkey who inspired Eddie Murphy’s “Shrek” character, died Thursday at the age of 30. His death was announced by Barron Park Donkeys in Palo Alto, California, where Perry once served as a model for animators behind the DreamWorks franchise.

“We are heartbroken to share that our beloved Barron Park donkey, Perry, passed away yesterday at the age of 30,” Barron Park Donkeys wrote Friday on Instagram. “He was a beloved member of our community and we know many people will be touched by his passing.”

Perry had lived on the Bol Park pasture in the Barron Park neighborhood since 1997. His handler, Jenny Kiratli, told Palo Alto Online on Thursday that Perry had suffered from a hoof disease called laminitis, which caused extreme pain to his left hind leg.

Kiratli added that she and other staff members who helped care for Perry “had handlers there all day long, just watching and hoping something would improve” after months of treatment, including acupuncture, massages, laser light therapy and “a lot of pain medicine,” but that Perry was still hurting and had to be euthanized.

Kiratli said they decided to leave Perry lying on the pasture for several hours after he died so that his two fellow donkey friends, April and Buddy, could process their loss.