Adam Sandler Shares Sweet And Funny Tribute To 'Happy Gilmore' Alligator After His Death From Old Age

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Morris, beloved by many for his 30 years in show business in a wide variety of TV shows and movies.

The famous alligator retired in 2006 to the Colorado Gator Farm, where he lived out the rest of his 80 or more years.

On Facebook, the Colorado Gator Farm shared a tribute as Morris's caretaker, Jay Young, comforted him in his final moments.

Tearfully, Young shared:

"I'm sad to report that Morris the movie star alligator has passed."

"We don't know his exact age. We know he was nine feet long in 1975 when he arrived in Hollywood. He got here in 2006 and was pretty old, because he's only grown two inches in the last 19 years, and he hasn't shed teeth since he got here."

"He was probably 80, 90, or even maybe 100 years old. Morris was pretty old when he got here, and he was with us for almost 20 years."

"He started acting strange about a week ago. He wasn't lunging at us and wasn't taking food. We tried to get him to eat some chicken a couple of days ago, and he wasn't interested, but we left it on the shore, and he ended up eating it during the night."

Young had to take a pause to breathe and wipe his eyes before he continued:

"I know it's strange to people that we get so attached to an alligator, to all of our animals. We love our cats and dogs, too."

"It's the worst part of what we do, losing the animals. But this isn't as tragic as some of the things we've experienced in the past, and he had a happy time here, and he died of old age, and it's not as tragic as some of the family members we've lost, of course. But it's still hard."

You can see the video here:

Morris was discovered in 1975 as an illegal pet, kept in a celebrity's backyard, and he was rescued and taken into the entertainment industry, where he starred in many movies and TV shows. Some particularly big roles were Alligator, Blues Brothers 2000, and even a performance with Steve Irwin.

But most notable was his role in Happy Gilmore, when he and Adam Sandler wrestled for Happy to get a golf ball back from the golf green surfing gator while trying to win the Tour Championship.

Happy's mentor, Carl Weathers, also had his hand bit off by an alligator in the past, and after getting his golf ball back, he presented the head of Morris's character to Weathers as a tribute, effectively ending Morris's role in the film.

After the announcement of Morris's passing, Sandler shared a touching and funny tribute on Instagram and X (Twitter).

"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."

Fans on X leaned into Happy Gilmore puns and used humor to cope with the loss.

Fans on Instagram were more touched by the tribute and the loss of Morris the Alligator.

@adamsandler/Instagram

@adamsandler/Instagram

@adamsandler/Instagram

@adamsandler/Instagram

@adamsandler/Instagram

Since posting the video, the Colorado Gator Farm has decided that they will have Morris taxidermied so he can "continue scaring the children," which they believe "is what he would have wanted."

Morris brought a lot of joy to people in entertainment, from the horror movie lovers who embraced Alligator 1 and Alligator 2 to the comedy lovers who loved Happy Gilmore to those who loved visiting him and other swamp-living creatures at the Colorado Gator Farm.