On this day, the internet community mourns the loss of one of its original viral sensations. Bento, better known as the successor to the original Keyboard Cat, has passed away at the age of 9.Â
The second-greatest feline synth keyboarder of all time originally memed his way into our hearts back in 2010 when "Keyboard Cat: Reincarnated" was uploaded to YouTube. The video has accumulated more than 10.5 million total views, with the gingery little buddy showing off skills that Beethoven (human version) would have to respect.
Bento might be gone, but his heartwarming video will live on forever in the unofficial meme Hall of Fame.
Bento was the star of the sequel to the original "Keyboard Cat" video that was uploaded by Charlie Schmidt during YouTube's infancy way back in 2007. The video featured footage from the '80s of Schmidt's cat Fatso "playing" the synth keyboard as well; that one has soared upwards of 50 million views. Bento was even able to transcend his YouTube fame to make it to television screens around the country when he appeared in a commercial for Wonderful Pistachios that aired during the 2010 World Series.
The extraordinary Bento received homage from a whole bunch of people on Twitter, as well.