Berlin (dpa) – Cheetah the chimpanzee, who starred in classic Tarzan films, has died of kidney failure aged 80, the primate sanctuary in Florida where he lived said on Wednesday. “It is with great sadness that the community has lost a dear friend and family member on December 24,” the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary Foundation Inc. said on its website. “Cheetah, star of the Tarzan films, passed away after kidney failure,” it added. Cheetah came to the sanctuary around 1960 from the estate of actor John Weissmuller, who played Tarzan in MGM movies portraying Edgar Rice Burroughs's character, the Tampa Tribune quoted a sanctuary spokesman on its website as saying. Chimpanzees generally live up to age 40 in the wild, but can easily exceed 60 years in captivity. Cheetah loved fingerpainting and American football, Debbie Cobb of the Suncoast sanctuary told the Tampa Tribune. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/NdJsy Tags: Cheetah, Chimp, Tarzan Section: Animals, Entertainment, Movies News
