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Cheetah, the chimpanzee sidekick in the Tarzan movies of the 1930s and 1940s, has died at 80, outliving both his co-stars. Seen here in 1945 film Tarzan and The Amazons, Cheetah provided the comic relief in the series, which starred American Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan.

The chimpanzee died of kidney failure on Christmas Eve at The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbour, Florida.

Debbie Cobb, director of the sanctuary, said Cheetah had loved finger painting and had seemed particularly tuned into human feelings. Unlike many Hollywood stars Cheetah was not a troublemaker, claims Mrs Cobb, although he was known to thrown his own waste if he became upset. Cheetah is cited in The Guinness Book of Records as the world's oldest non-human primate. Chimpanzees in captivity typically live between 35 and 40 years.

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