Kabosu dies: Viral 'Doge' meme Shibu Inu dog who inspired new bitcoin and became X logo has died

Internet sensation Doge has passed away.

Internet meme sensation Doge has passed away.

The Shiba Inu, whose fluffy face regularly went viral and captured the hearts of the internet, was a much loved staple within social media communities.

Her owner, who lives in Japan, posted on her blog to share the news of Kabosu's passing.

She said her 19-year-old pooch "fell into a deep sleep" on Friday morning.

While she gained notoriety with her hilarious side eye reaction meme, her fame increased further when internet fans used her face as the logo for Dogecoin - a joke form of the bitcoin currency.

A Dogecoin meme posted by the creators of the bitcoin currency. Credit: @dogecoin

Today the currency is equivalent to 13p per Dogecoin but in its heyday it did have some very famous fans.

In January 2021, interest from Reddit users drove up the coin's value, with billionaire X owner Elon Musk and rapper Snoop Dogg jumping on the bandwagon.

Musk was so enamoured with Doge that when he bought Twitter and turned it into X, he ditched its iconic bird logo and swapped it for a cartoon likeness of the dog.

Paying tribute to Kabosu, the makers of Dogecoin said on X: "Today Kabosu, our community's shared friend and inspiration, peacefully passed in the arms of her person. The impact this one dog has made across the world is immeasurable.

"She was a being who knew only happiness and limitless love.

"Please keep her spirit and her family in your heart, and most importantly carry her with you as your story continues - we are all fortunate for hers to have touched and shaped ours."

Kabosu the dog had become poorly in her old age. Credit: Handout

Kabosu was rescued from a Japanese animal shelter, where she likely would have been killed, by her owner Atsuko Sato in November 2008.

Ms Sato shared pictures of her dog and cats on her website - kabochan blog - including the image that first rocketed Kabosu to stardom in 2010.

When she first spotted the memes, three years later in 2013, she told The Verge she “was taken aback”.

“It felt very strange to see her face there. It was a Kabosu that I didn’t know,” she added.

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