Grumpy Cat Cause Of Death: Instagram Sensation Dead At 7

Tardar Sauce, the cat best known as Grumpy Cat, died at the age of 7, her owners revealed early Friday. In a statement, the family said her cause of death was "complications from a recent urinary tract infection."

The most famous feline on the internet died Tuesday “at home in the arms of her mommy, Tabatha,” the statement posted Friday on social media read. “Despite care from top professionals, as well as from her very loving family, Grumpy encountered complications from a recent urinary tract infection that unfortunately became too tough for her to overcome... Besides being our baby and a cherished member of the family, Grumpy Cat has helped millions of people smile all around the world – even when times were tough. Her spirit will continue to live on through her fans everywhere.”

The Instagram sensation has more than 2.4 million followers on the photo-sharing site and 1.5 million followers on Twitter.

Grumpy Cat, who rose to fame after a photograph of her was posted to Reddit in September 2012, lived in Phoenix, Arizona, with her family, Tabatha, Bryan and Chrystal. She was popular for her permanently “grumpy” expression. She inspired thousands of memes, made TV appearances and starred in commercials for the Honey Nut Cheerios, and Friskies cat food in the U.S. Grumpy Cat won a Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Friskies Awards for best cat videos, before she was even two years old.

On her website, Grumpy's owners stressed that she led a normal life.

"We take great care of Tardar Sauce; 99% of the time she is a normal kitty. She plays, hides, and acts as cats act. (She LOVES to hide behind the curtains!) She isn't in front of a camera all of the time like many people perceive. We only take photos sets once every week or so and on the few occasions where we have met with the media or licensed partners we ensure the sessions are short and that she isn't handled by many people. Tardar Sauce is a member of the family before anything else!" the website reads.

In the past, there have been several times when Grumpy Cat became a victim of death hoaxes.

Several fans of the Grumpy Cat mourned her death on social media by reposting her photos and memes.