Happy Gilmore star Morris the alligator dies as Adam Sandler issues heartbreaking tribute

An alligator that appeared in numerous and films, incluidng a role working alongside the famous 'Crocodile Hunter' has sadly died.

Morris started his career in 1975 and retired in 2006, when he was sent to the Colorado Gator Farm in the tiny town of Mosca, in southern Colorado. He appeared in several films, including “Interview with the Vampire,” “Dr. Dolittle 2" and “Blues Brothers 2000." He also appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” with the late wildlife expert Steve Irwin.

But his most famous role was in the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy “Happy Gilmore,” a film about a failed and ill-tempered hockey player who discovers a talent for . The title character played by Sandler confronts Morris after hitting a golf ball that ends up in the gator's mouth.

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Based on his growth rate and tooth loss, Morris the alligator was at least 80 years old when he died, the Colorado Gator Farm said in a post Sunday. He was nearly 11 feet (3.3 meters) long and weighed 640 pounds (290 kilograms).

In a as he tearfully stroked Morris' head in an animal enclosure Jay Young, the farm’s owner and operator, said: "He started acting strange about a week ago. He wasn’t lunging at us and wasn’t taking food, I know it's strange to people that we get so attached to an alligator, to all of our animals. ... He had a happy time here, and he died of old age.

Sandler posted a tribute to Morris on on Wednesday, sharing a photo of him from the film he captiond the post: " Goodbye, Morris. We are all gonna miss you. You could be hard on directors, make-up artists, costumers - really anyone with arms or legs - but I know you did it for the ultimate good of the film. The day you wouldn’t come out of your trailer unless we sent in 40 heads of lettuce taught me a powerful lesson: never compromise your art. I will never forget at craft service that time when we split the Three Musketeers bar and you let me have the bigger half. But that’s who you were.

"I know your character’s decapitation in the first movie precluded your participation in the sequel, but we all appreciated the fruit basket and the hilarious note. I will miss the sound of your tail sliding through the tall grass, your cold, bumpy skin, but, most of all, I will miss your infectious laugh. Thanks to Mr. Young for taking care of you all these years, and vaya con dios, old friend."

One person commented: "Legendary scene. R.I.P. Morris" while another wrote: "This is wholesome and precious. Appreciation for every single person whom took such good care of Morris - a star."

The Colorado Gator Farm, which opened to the public in 1990, said it plans to preserve Morris' body. In a it wrote: "Goodbye, Morris. We are all gonna miss you. You could be hard on directors, make-up artists, costumers - really anyone with arms or legs - but I know you did it for the ultimate good of the film. The day you wouldn’t come out of your trailer unless we sent in 40 heads of lettuce taught me a powerful lesson: never compromise your art. I will never forget at craft service that time when we split the Three Musketeers bar and you let me have the bigger half. But that’s who you were."