Tarzan's chimp pal dies at age 80: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com
Tarzan's chimp pal dies at age 80
'Cheetah' lived at Florida sanctuary for decades
PALM HARBOR - Debbie Cobb cares for 14 chimps at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary. But on Christmas Eve, the most famous of them passed away -- 'Cheetah,' the old movie star who'd lived there since Debbie was a little girl.
"Fifty-one years I got to spend with him," Debbie explained. "I was there when he passed away. And I can tell you that it's been an honor to be in his presence for 51 years."
Millions of others knew him too, from the movies.
Cheetah was Tarzan's loyal primate sidekick in the Johnny Weissmuller films of the 1930's. He was one of a number of different chimps used for the role in different scenes and filming locations.
Cheetah was probably 4 or 5 years old when he appeared in movie scenes filmed at Silver Springs near Ocala. He was brought to the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in the early 1960's, back when it was known as 'The Chimp Farm.'
..."He loved the women," Debbie recalled. "He loved to play feetsies, he loved to run up and down, he loved to finger-paint for us. He was just a real playful chimp."...
For young kids like me we preferred the animals on the Tarzan movie to anything and Cheetah was my favorite. Oh well, another great one passes. RIP.
I remember an interview years ago with J.Weismueller (sp). He was sitting there with a cigarette and a budweiser. Like George Burns, it wasn't any salad that kept that chimp alive all of those years - it was the caloric content of good ole Anheiser Busche products and nicotine. (Mason)
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