Bento, the Keyboard Cat, has passed away
[Photo by: Keyboard Cat/Youtube]
Internet sensation Keyboard Cat, known by his friends as Bento, has sadly passed away at nine years old.
Read more: ‘Metal Cats’ is the purr-fect coloring book for the feline-loving headbanger
From Spokane, Washington, Bento rose to fame in 2009 when his owner, Charlie Schmidt, filmed the talented kitty showing off his best keyboard skills.
After going viral, the video made Keyboard Cat a celebrity, and he was soon popping up on T-shirts, merchandise and pistachio commercials. He frequented the cat conference circuit, and even shared a manager with Grumpy Cat.
It should be noted that Bento was not the original Keyboard Cat. Schmidt filmed the first cat video in the mid-1980s with his feline Fatso. Fatso passed long before Keyboard Cat went viral in 2007, but luckily Bento was able assume the important role that allowed Keyboard Cat to live on.
Watch the original Keyboard Cat video here:
Schmidt posted a tribute video online to celebrate his beloved pet shortly after his passing. You can watch the video below:
Rest in peace, Keyboard Cat. May you forever rock on.
