How old was Morris the Alligator? Adam Sandler mourns death of Happy Gilmore Alligator

As per a recent article by ABC News, actor Adam Sandler is mourning the loss of one his co-stars.

Sandler took to Instagram for paying tribute to his reptile friend-- Morris, the alligator on Wednesday. He wrote a cheeky yet touching post to honor the life of Morris. Sandler had worked with Morris on the set of the film Happy Gilmore and was over 80 years old, as per Entertainment Weekly.

"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." Sandler wrote on his post on Instagram.

Sandler further joked about how he would miss Morris' bumpy skin and infectious laughter,

"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.

The demise of Morris, the alligator, was announced on Sunday by the Colorado Gator Farm. Colorado Gator Farm took care of Morris and his career in films. The Gator farm also paid tribute to Morris officially.

"Exact age was unknown, but he was 9 feet long in 1975 and by his growth rate and tooth loss, we can estimate his age at over 80 years. While we knew this was inevitable, we are very saddened by his passing to old age. RIP Morris." read the official tribute released by Colorado Gator Farm.

In a video posted along with the official announcement of Morris by the Colorado Gator Farms, Morris's longtime caretaker and owner of the animal care facility, Jay Young, was seen craddling the decased alligator.

Young revealed that Morris had been acting strangely for around a week and had stopped eating and reacting much. He further mentioned in the video with tears in his eyes that while people might be shocked as to how someone can be so attached to an alligator, he was happy that Morris lived his life properly and died of old age.

He was around 11 feet long and weighed about 640 pounds at the time of his death.

Colorado Gator Farms said that it plans to preserve Morris's body.

“We have decided to get Morris taxidermied so that he can continue to scare children for years to come. It’s what he would have wanted." Colorado Gator Farms posted on Facebook.

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All we know about Morris

Morris was found as an illegal pet in the backyard of a home in Los Angeles. He was sent to Colorado Gator Farm in the year 1975 in the small town of Mosca and retired in 2006.

His most famous role is in the 1996 film Happy Gilmore with actor Adam Sandler. The plot of the movie revolves around the story of a failed and a short-tempered hockey player who becomes succesful as a golfer later. In the movie, the protagonist played by Sandler hits the golf ball which ends up in the alligator's mouth.

Last May, the official sequel of The Happy Gilmore was officially announced, but with most of the details under wraps. Sadly, Morris will not be a part of the sequel.

Morris has appeared in other noteworthy films also like Dr.Dolittle 2, Nightcourt, Interview with the Vampire, Coach, Blue Brothers 2000. He also appeared on The Tonight Show by Jay Leno accompained by the late wildlife expert Steve Irwin.