Oslo, Dec. 13 (Reuters): Keiko the killer whale, star of the Free Willy movies, has died at 27 of pneumonia in a Norwegian fjord, ending campaigners’ hopes of returning the people-loving mammal to life in the wild.

The world’s most famous orca, a magnet for tourists who spent most of his life in captivity, died about 15 months after turning up in Norwegian waters, officials said today.

Millions of dollars was spent on preparing the 10-metre animal for the wild after the 1993 movie Free Willy prompted a campaign for his release, but Keiko never rejoined killer whale company.

Margrete Seter, mayor of Halsa municipality in western Norway which has been Keiko’s home since he surprisingly turned up there in September last year, said the giant mammal had been found floating on the surface of the sea late yesterday. “It’s terribly sad,” Seter said. “We had been hoping to have him around for many more years.” Killer whales can live to around 35.

The Hollywood star, a big tourist draw in Halsa, had shown signs of lethargy and lack of appetite just before he died, said the Free Willy Keiko Foundation, which has headed the campaign to free Keiko.