Koko, the thoughtful gorilla who captivated the world through her ability to use sign language and revealed an empathetic side to great apes, has died. She was 46. The western lowland gorilla passed away in her sleep Tuesday morning at the Gorilla Foundation’s preserve in California’s Santa Cruz mountains, the foundation said. “Koko touched the lives of millions as an ambassador for all gorillas and an icon for interspecies communication and empathy,” the foundation said on its website. “She was beloved and will be deeply missed.” Koko was believed to have had an IQ of between 75 and 95 and could sign more than 1,000 words. The average IQ of a human is around 90 to 110. She also understood spoken English. Born at the San Francisco Zoo, the gentle, nearly 300-pound ape began learning sign language as a baby in 1974 from Dr. Francine “Penny” Patterson as part of a Stanford University project. She spent her entire life in captivity and became a celebrity in her own right. Her remarkable ability to sign landed her on the cover of National Geographic twice — in 1978, in a photo she took of herself in a mirror, and again in 1985, with an image of her mourning the death of one of her pet kittens. Throughout her life, Koko adopted several felines, using sign language to give them names like All Ball, Lipstick and Smoky. She was gifted a box of kittens on her 44th birthday. Her love of animals spawned the children’s book “Koko’s Kitten” and her own branded line of toys. In 2012, she stunned scientists by playing wind instruments, including the recorder, harmonica and party-favor whistles — an ability that showed primates can learn to control their breathing, NPR reported. Controlled breathing was believed to be beyond their ability. Koko met a slew of celebrities over the years, like Betty White, Leonardo DiCaprio and the late Robin Williams — who shared hugs and laughs with the gorilla during their 2001 encounter. “Her impact has been profound and what she has taught us about the emotional capacity of gorillas and their cognitive abilities will continue to shape the world,” the foundation said.<doc-sep>In addition to her feline friends, Koko had no shortage of celebrity pals in her inner-circle. In 2001, Robin Williams visited the California Center and quickly hit it off with the charming gorilla. Video of their interaction shows Koko at one point snatching the comedian’s glasses and putting them on her own head. The pair is also shown laughing it up and tickling each other.<doc-sep>Koko, a western lowland gorilla who became internationally famous for learning to communicate in sign language, has died at the age of 46. The Gorilla Foundation announced Koko’s death, saying she would be “deeply missed”. “Koko touched the lives of millions as an ambassador for all gorillas and an icon for interspecies communication and empathy,” the foundation said in a statement. Recommended Koko the Gorilla issues a warning to humanity over climate change Koko was born Hanabi-ko (Japanese for “Fireworks Child”) on July 4, 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo. When she was about 12 months old, Stanford University student Francine “Penny” Patterson started to train her to use sign language. Her handler claimed she learned to understand and use more than 1,000 different signs, although some scientists questioned the claim. Koko was among a handful of primates who could communicate using sign language; others included Washoe, a female chimpanzee in Washington state, and Chantek, a male orangutan in Atlanta. Her keepers said she understood some spoken English, too. In 1983, Koko famously asked for a cat — a wish that was eventually granted. For her birthday in 1985, researchers brought her a litter of kittens and let her choose one to keep. The primate selected a grey and white kitten, who she named “All Ball”, supposedly because the animal looked like a ball and Koko enjoyed words that rhymed. The ape nurtured All Ball like it was her offspring and even tried to nurse it at one point. Koko was reportedly upset for days after All Ball was killed by a car, Ron Cohn, a biologist with the Gorilla foundation told the Los Angeles Times in 1985. “She started whimpering — a distinct hooting sound that gorillas make when they are sad. We all started crying together,” he said. Koko went on to have many cat companions and Ms Patterson wrote a children’s book in 1990 called Koko’s Kitten, which told of the gorilla’s love of her feline companion. 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Koko, the western lowland gorilla who learned to speak sign language and had an affinity for kittens, died in her sleep Wednesday. She was 46. The Gorilla Foundation announced Koko’s death, saying she will be “deeply missed.” “Koko touched the lives of millions as an ambassador for all gorillas and an icon for interspecies communication and empathy,” the foundation wrote in a statement. Born on July 4, 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo, Koko was originally named Hanabi-ko, which translates to “fireworks child” in Japanese — a reference to her birthday falling on the Fourth of July. When Koko was about 1 year old, she started learning sign language from Dr. Francine “Penny” Patterson, who remained her trainer throughout her life. Over the years, Koko was able to understand and use more than 1,000 different signs — and famously asked for a cat for Christmas in 1983. Researchers initially gave her a stuffed animal, but Koko wouldn’t play with it and continuously signed “sad.” “She was terribly upset,” Ron Cohn, a biologist with the Gorilla Foundation, told the Los Angeles Times in a 1985 interview. For her birthday that year, researchers brought her a litter of kittens and let her choose one. Koko chose a gray and white kitten that she named “All Ball.” She treated the feline like one of her own — nurturing it, carrying it around like a baby and even trying to nurse it at one point. “They would play chase with each other and she (Koko) would hold it and pet it,” Cohn said. “The cat reacted to her as she would a human, but she was pretty independent and would bite Koko or wriggle loose when she got tired of being babied.” All Ball was tragically hit by a car about six months later, and Koko’s reaction once again stunned researchers. “She started whimpering — a distinct hooting sound that gorillas make when they are sad. We all started crying together,” Cohn recalled to the LA Times. She went on to care for many cats throughout her life, and Patterson wrote a children’s book in 1990 — Koko’s Kitten — that told the unlikely story of Koko’s adoration for cats. Koko became a household name in 1978 when a photo she took of herself in the mirror appeared on the cover of National Geographic and the public embraced her fondness for cats and her ability to interact with humans through sign language. She appeared on National Geographic again in 1985. In addition to her many cat friends, Koko also famously met several celebrities including Robin Williams and Mr. Rogers. During her 2001 meeting with Williams at the Gorilla Foundation in California, they tickled each other, laughed and at one point, Koko took Williams’ glasses and put them on her head. Williams’ called their meeting “awesome and unforgettable.” When Koko was told that Williams died in 2016, her reaction once again went viral as photos showed her looking visibly upset. “She became extremely sad,” Patterson wrote on the gorilla foundation’s website. On Thursday, tributes to Koko’s legacy poured out on social media with many remembering her kindness and empathy. Contact us at letters@time.com.