Beloved polar bear Knut has died

Knut in 2009 at the Berlin Zoo.

BERLIN – Berlin's beloved polar bear Knut, who rose to international stardom as a cuddly cub hand-raised by zookeepers, died suddenly on Saturday, a zoo official said.

The world-famous bear died alone in his compound without warning, bear keeper Heiner Kloes told The Associated Press.

"It was a completely normal day: He was with the female bears before, who had just been shut away," Kloes said. "Then, Knut strolled around the enclosure, went into the water, had a short spasm and died."

A post mortem will be conducted on Monday to try to pinpoint the cause of death, he said.

Between 600 and 700 people were at Knut's compound and saw the four-year-old bear die, German news agency DAPD reported.

One visitor said she watched Knut lying on the surface of the water motionless with only his back showing for ten minutes until zookeepers came and fenced off the compound.

"Everybody was asking, 'What's going on, why is Knut not moving?'" said Camilla Verde, a 30-year-old Italian who lives in Berlin.

"All the zoo keepers who put up the fences were so very sad. One of them said, 'He was our baby,'" she said.

As the news of Knut's death spread through the city, more Knut fans showed up at the zoo, assembling in front of the bear compound to mourn his loss.

Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit called Knut's death "awful."

"We all held him so dear," Wowereit told daily newspaper B.Z. "He was the star of the Berlin zoos."

The polar bear rose to global fame after he was rejected by his mother when he was born in captivity on December 5, 2006. The fluffy cub was shown to the public 15 weeks later, and attendance at the zoo has roughly doubled since, officials said.

"Knutmania" led to a 2007 Vanity Fair cover with actor Leonardo DiCaprio shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, a film and plush likenesses. Though the zoo has never released exact numbers, Knut merchandise including postcards, key chains, candy and stuffed Knuts have brought in hundreds of thousands of euros.

Courtesy of Josip Marcan

I hate to say I'm almost glad this Knut nonsense is finally over, and the world can get on to some legitimate animal business. I won't because I am assuming in a short time they are going to be selling tapes of his just found, never before released, "Knut Sings Gospel Hits" or Knuts Lost Christmas Carols", ala Elvis Presley, or some art work he did in his younger days. Geez, what a power machine the media is!!!!!