ORLANDO, Fla.-- Tilikum, an orca that killed a trainer at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010, has died.
SeaWorld says in a statement posted online that Tilikum died Friday. A cause of death had not yet been determined. He was estimated to be 36-years-old.
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Tilikum had been suffering from a persistent and complicated bacterial lung infection, SeaWorld said in its statement. Various treatment methods had been administered including anti-inflammatories, anti-bacterials and anti-nausea medications. A necropsy will be performed, the statement said.
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Tilikum was profiled in the documentary "Blackfish", which helped sway popular opinion against keeping killer whales in captivity at SeaWorld parks. As SeaWorld's most prolific male orca, he sired 14 calves in the nearly 25 years he was at SeaWorld Orlando.
Criticism over keeping orcas captive grew after Tilikum grabbed trainer Dawn Brancheau following a "Dine with Shamu" show and pulled her into the pool, killing her.
Tilikum was also involved in the deaths of two other people in the 1990s. In 1999, Daniel Dukes, an intruder who entered the orca tank after the park closed, likely died of hypothermia in the water. His body was found draped across Tilikum's back hours later, and it appeared to be bitten by the whale.
In 1991, Keltie Byrne, a trainer at Sealand of the Pacific, drowned in Tilikum's tank. Investigators said Tilikum and two other orcas dragged her under water.
In March, SeaWorld CEO Manby acknowledged that the public's attitude had changed about keeping killer whales captive and that the company would end its orca breeding program.
Watch a tribute video below: