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Cheetah, Tarzan's chimp, 'autographed' this photograph, which also pictures Johnny Wiessmuller and Maureen O'Hara. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Signature House.

Cheetah the chimp from 1930s Tarzan films dies at age 80

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Cheetah, Tarzan's chimp, 'autographed' this photograph, which also pictures Johnny Wiessmuller and Maureen O'Hara. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Signature House.
Cheetah, Tarzan’s chimp, ‘autographed’ this photograph, which also pictures Johnny Wiessmuller and Maureen O’Hara. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Signature House.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) –A Florida animal sanctuary says Cheetah the chimpanzee sidekick in the Tarzan movies of the 1930s has died at age 80.

The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor announced that Cheetah died Dec. 24 of kidney failure.

Sanctuary outreach director Debbie Cobb on Wednesday told The Tampa Tribune newspaper that Cheetah was outgoing, loved finger painting and liked to see people laugh. She says he seemed to be tuned into human feelings.

Based on the works of author Edgar Rice Burroughs, the Tarzan stories, which have spawned scores of books and films over the years, chronicle the adventures of a man who was raised by apes in Africa.

Cheetah was the comic relief in the Tarzan films that starred American Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller. Cobb says Cheetah came to the sanctuary from Weissmuller’s estate sometime around 1960.

Cobb says Cheetah wasn’t a troublemaker. Still, sanctuary volunteer Ron Priest says that when the chimp didn’t like what was going on, he would throw feces.

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Online:

http://suncoastprimate.homestead.com/

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-12-28-11 1424GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Cheetah, Tarzan's chimp, 'autographed' this photograph, which also pictures Johnny Wiessmuller and Maureen O'Hara. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Signature House.
Cheetah, Tarzan’s chimp, ‘autographed’ this photograph, which also pictures Johnny Wiessmuller and Maureen O’Hara. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Signature House.