Oreo the Raccoon: Model for Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy, dies aged 10

Oreo the Raccoon, who served as the model for the Marvel character Rocket, has died aged 10.

Rocket, who is voiced by Bradley Cooper, first appeared in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, followed by its 2017 sequel and last year’s Avengers: Infinity War. He’s set to return this year in Avengers: Endgame.

A Facebook fan page for Guardians of the Galaxy announced the news on Thursday, 7 February after Oreo’s owners posted that he had passed away after a short illness.

“Our hearts are broken as we have lost our best friend, our Guardian of our Galaxy Mr Oreo Raccoon,” Quinta Layla wrote. “Oreo passed away in the early hours of this morning after a very short illness. Many thanks to our wonderful vets for their compassion and care.”

“Rest in Peace to Oreo the Raccoon, the real-life model for Rocket Raccoon,” added the fan page. “Oreo was also the Raccoon that went to the red carpet with GotG director James Gunn when the movie debuted in Hollywood.”

Animators studied Oreo to help capture the movement and behaviours of Rocket.