8 Famous Internet Pets You Didn’t Realize Had Passed Away (2 of 5)

2. Keyboard Cats: Fatso & Bento

You’ve likely seen the viral video featuring an orange tabby expertly pawing a keyboard. That was Fatso, aka the original Keyboard Cat. The clip, recorded on VHS in 1984, wasn’t uploaded to YouTube until 2007, but it went massively viral. Fatso herself passed away in 1987, long before her rise to fame. Later came Bento, Fatso’s “successor,” who kept the Keyboard Cat legacy alive. He starred in ads and made appearances before passing away from liver cancer in 2018. Today, a new cat named Skinny keeps the act going, but Fatso and Bento remain the OG stars.

3. Henri, le Chat Noir

Henri wasn’t just a cat: he was a thinker and a smart boy, just covered in fur. In a series of black-and-white YouTube shorts, he lamented the futility of life in French while sneering at his feline roommate (a.k.a. “the white imbecile”). Millions watched, and even Roger Ebert called it the best cat video of all time. Henri officially “retired” from film in 2018 but lived until December 2020, passing away at 17. His owner, Will Braden, told fans, “Henri lives on in the laughter he brought into your lives.”