Ricky Gervais announces his beloved cat Ollie has died

Fans of comedian and actor Ricky Gervais - particularly those who follow him on social media - will certainly be aware of his beloved cat Ollie.

She was gifted to Gervais way back in 2003 by his showbiz pal Jonathan Ross on the presenter's show, but today the comedian has taken to Twitter to announce that, sadly, Ollie has passed away at the age of 16.

This is the moment Ricky Gervais first met his beloved cat Ollie, on a TV show way back in 2003:

[[twitterwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/Bv25AtBN-Q0L14jDU.mp4]]

"Just had to say goodbye to the sweetest little soul I’ve ever known. RIP Ollie July 9th 2003 - March 10th 2020", Gervais wrote.

[[twitterwidget||[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1237347029296254977]]]]

Ollie had become something of a social media sensation herself, thanks to a Twitter account named @myleftfang, and tributes have been pouring in to the late cat on the site.

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/gmwithers/status/1237352936075857926]]

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/outtaspacekitty/status/1237349861151969280]]

"I am so sorry to hear the news about Ollie @rickygervais It was so lovely that you shared her videos with us when you did. She was a beauty. RIP Ollie." one tribute reads.

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/murphyvaughan/status/1237350658426232832]]

Tributes and well wishes also flooded in on Instagram:

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram]]

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram]]

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram]]

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram]]

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Instagram]]

Another fan wrote;

"You & Jane have my sincerest condolences. Through you, Ollie brought good, kind people together to help sad animals everywhere. I’ll miss making her little outfits & her crazy antics. RIP #Ollie- for a cat who never left the house, you’re going to be missed by thousands"

And Gervais' partner, the author Jane Fallon, wrote her own personal moving tribute to Ollie on her Twitter page:

"I have awful news. My smart, funny, feisty, beautiful sidekick of the last 16 & a half years @myleftfang has passed away after a sudden down turn in her health at the weekend. My heart is broken in two. I have no idea what I’m going to do without her by my side. #Ollie"

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/JaneFallon/status/1237343328577994754]]

Per the Irish Mirror, Ollie was named after one of Gervais' own comedy heroes - Oliver Hardy.