Overview

Gay Penguin Death, also known as Sphen Penguin Death, refers to the death of Sphen, one-half of the world-famous gay gentoo penguin couple from the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium in Australia. The gay penguin's death became a viral topic on the internet in mid-August 2024, sparking memes, tributes, media coverage and fans mourning the passing of the animal.

Background

On August 21st, 2024, the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium official Instagram^[1] account shared a video (seen below) about the death of the penguin Vale Sphen, captioning "one-half of the world’s most famous and loved gentoo penguin couples, has sadly passed away." The post also mentions that Sphen and Magic same-sex relationship inspired "millions around the world with their story of love, equality, and devotion." The video received over 37,000 views in a day.

Online Reactions

Sphen's death quickly became a viral topic on the internet as it was widely covered in numerous publications around the world, sparking memes and reactions from people mourning the animal.

For example, on August 22nd, 2024, TikTok^[2] user @les__beans posted a video of her girlfriend reacting to the news (seen below), which amassed more than 4,800 plays and 200 likes in a few hours.

Also on August 22nd, 2024, TikTok^[3] user @raydudeedits uploaded a video showing the penguins Sphen and Magic with the overlay text, "Stop I'm literally crying like wdym he died his bf started singing after he died and everyone joined in wdym." The post (seen below) amassed 1,400 likes in a few hours.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References