Donkey who inspired beloved character in “Shrek” dies at 30
By Brandon Downs
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PALO ALTO, California (KPIX) — Perry, the Bay Area donkey who was the inspiration behind the beloved character in the DreamWorks’ 2001 film “Shrek,” died at the age of 30.
In an Instagram post, Barron Park Donkeys in Palo Alto announced that Perry died on Thursday.
“In 1999 he reinvented himself as a movie star,” Mike Holland, one of Perry’s 30 volunteer handlers, told CBS News Bay Area last summer. “When you’re looking at the body and the donkey in ‘Shrek,’ that’s his body or it was back in 2001, 1999.”
Holland said one of the film’s animators lived nearby and brought a team over to hang out with Perry for research.
But as Perry grew older, his medical bills also started to grow. That was when the Palo Alto community and the City of Palo Alto stepped in to help with the demands.
“He was a beloved member of our community and we know many people will be touched by his passing,” the Instagram post read.
The Barron Park Donkey Project is a fiduciary program under the Palo Alto Humane Society.
It says it will announce memorial plans soon.
Donkey, the character in the film who was Shrek’s sidekick, was voiced by Eddie Murphy.
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