Leo, the poster boy for the horror flick “Pet Sematary,” has died.
His passing was noted Thursday on his Instagram account, which, started by his owner Kirk Jarrett’s 12-year-old daughter, accrued 17.6K followers since the film opened in April.
“It is with great sadness that we tell you that Leo has passed away,” the post reads. “He will forever be missed by his human and fur family. May his star always shine bright.”
This tweet from Nerdist staff writer Lindsay Romain pretty much sums up the response from fans around the Twitterverse: “The cat from Pet Sematary died and I am f—ing devastated.”
Four long-haired Maine Coon cats — all of them rescues — shared the role of Church, the family cat who comes back from the dead. But it quickly became clear to Jarrett, the film’s animal handler, and lead trainer Melissa Millett that Leo and another cat, Tonic, were super stars.
Lively Tonic became the film’s “action star,” leaping onto his human co-stars on cue. But it was Leo whose hard-eyed stare leaped out of you on all the film’s posters and in many post-cemetery scenes.
Jarrett called him “a very laid-back cat. He likes to sit and stare.”
Leo also tolerated a makeup routine that matted his fur and left him looking like the zombie cat from hell he was playing. Luckily, all that gunk was digestible.
He and Tonic also disproved the notion that you can’t train a cat.
“[Cats] love mental stimulation,” Jarrett said. “They love to work and they love adventure, as long as you acclimate them.”
Thank you, Leo, for showing us just what a cat can do.