Pet Sematary’s Leo the Cat Has Passed Away

It’s been a sad month for fans of famous felines. A couple of weeks ago, the Internet’s collective heart was broken when news arrived that the ever-popular Grumpy Cat had passed away. Things only got worse on Thursday morning when it was announced that Leo the Cat, recent star of the Pet Sematary remake, had also died. This sad news arrives just a month or two after Leo graced the big screen as Church in the Stephen King adaptation.

While there were four different cats who were used to portray Church in the new Pet Sematary, Leo is the one fans will remember most. It was Leo who mainly played the undead version of the cat, and it was Leo who was featured in the film’s official posters and marketing materials.

The news was confirmed late Wednesday night on Leo’s official Instagram account, via animal trainer Kirk Jarrett, who adopted Leo after they filmed Pet Sematary.

“It is with deep sadness that we tell you that Leo has passed away,” reads the statement. “He will be forever missed by his human and fur family. May his star always shine bright!!”

Last month, Jarrett talked with AV Club about Leo’s work on the new Pet Sematary movie.

“Leo is a confident sit-stay cat,” Jarrett said. “His role is as the undead Church; that was his whole purpose, to be the poster child. The cat you see all across the different platforms, and in the trailer, almost any time he’s in in the undead makeup — that was Leo.”

Pet Sematary is Leo’s only big screen movie credit, and he appeared in the film alongside actors Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, and John Lithgow. The film was released on April 5th to mostly positive reviews and earned more than $24.5 million in its opening weekend.