Beloved polar bear Knut has died

Polar bear Knut plays with a branch at the Berlin Zoo on March 4, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. Bear curator Heiner Kloes acknowledged Saturday that Knut died in his enclosure at the age of 4. The cause is unknown.
Polar bear cub Knut, born December 5, 2006, is seen at the Berlin Zoo March 2, 2007 in Berlin, Germany. The cub, whose mother Tosca rejected him, became an international sensation. A zoo official reported Saturday that the 4-year-old bear had died. The average life of a polar bear is 30.
Knut the polar bear cub plays in his pen at Berlin's Zoologischer Garten zoo on April 3, 2007 in Berlin, Germany. The cub became a global sensation and even had his own video podcast with thousands of extra visitors flocking to Berlin Zoo to see him. Bear curator Heiner Kloes confirmed Knut's death on Saturday at the age of 4.
Six-month-old polar bear cub Knut plays with his keeper Thomas Doerflein at the Berlin Zoo on June 22, 2007 in Berlin, Germany. Knut has drawn international media attention since he was born in captivity at the zoo. Knut died Saturday in his enclosure.
Knut the polar bear naps before receiving his one-year birthday "cake" at the Berlin Zoo December 5, 2007 in Berlin, Germany. Knut, 4, died Saturday. The cause is being investigated.
In this Dec. 5, 2010 file photo, polar bear Knut stands behind his "birthday cake" to celebrate his fourth birthday in the Zoo of Berlin, Germany. A Berlin zoo official says world-famous polar bear Knut has died. Bear keeper Heiner Kloes said that 4-year-old Knut died Saturday while alone in his compound. He says the cause is not yet clear.
In this March 23, 2007 file photo, Knut, the polar bear cub, has its first public appearance with his keeper in the Berlin zoo. A Berlin zoo official said Saturday that the world-famous polar bear has died.
In this March 23, 2007 file photo, Knut, the polar bear cub, has its first public appearance with his keeper Thomas Doerflein in the Berlin zoo. A zoo official said that 4-year-old Knut died Saturday afternoon alone in his compound. He says the cause is not yet clear.
Knut, the polar bear cub, has its first public appearance with his keeper in the Berlin Zoo on March 23, 2007. Bear keeper Heiner Kloes said that 4-year-old Knut died Saturday afternoon while alone in his compound.
In this March 23, 2007 file photo, Knut, the polar bear cub, drinks water during its first public appearance in the Berlin zoo. Though the average life span of a polar bear is 30, Knut died Saturday at the age of 4. The cause is unknown.
In this combo of March 23, 2007 file pictures Knut the polar bear cub plays with a blanket during his first public appearance in the Berlin Zoo. Knut, 4, died Saturday in his enclosure. The cause is being investigated.

By Orange County Register | Orange County Register

March 20, 2011 at 4:00 p.m.

BERLIN — Berlin’s beloved polar bear Knut, who rose to stardom when he was hand-raised by zoo keepers after being rejected by his mother rejected at birth, died on Saturday, a zoo official said.

The world-famous bear died alone in his compound, bear keeper Heiner Kloes told The Associated Press.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A SLIDE SHOW OF KNUT

“He was by himself in his compound, he was in the water, and then he was dead,” said Kloes. “He was not sick, we don’t know why he died.”

A post mortem will be conducted on Monday to try pinpoint his cause of death, he said.

Between 600 and 700 people were at Knut’s compound and saw the four-year-old bear die, German news agency DAPD reported.

Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit called Knut’s death “awful.”

“We all held him so dearly,” Wowereit told daily newspaper B.Z. “He was the star of the Berlin zoos.”

The polar bear rose to global fame after he was rejected by his mother when he was born in captivity on December 5, 2006. The fluffy cub was shown to the public 15 weeks later, and attendance at the zoo has roughly doubled since, officials said.

The resulting “Knutmania” led to a 2007 Vanity Fair cover with actor Leonardo DiCaprio shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, a film and plush likenesses. Though the zoo has never released exact numbers, Knut merchandise including postcards, key chains, candy and stuffed Knuts have brought in hundreds of thousands of euros