Photo Gallery Remembering Paul the Octopus
The Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, issued a statement on Tuesday the "Paul," the world's most famous octopus, passed away during the night. The octopus catapulted to global fame after correctly predicting each of Germany's World Cup matches. He also successful predicted the outcome of the final match of the 2010 World Cup between Spain and the Netherlands in South Africa. "Management and staff of the Oberhausen Sea Life Aquarium were devastated when Paul was found dead this morning," the aquarium said in a statement.
After shooting to fame this summer by correctly predicting each of Germany's World Cup matches, Paul was featured in print ads for the German supermarket chain Rewe over the weekend.
How long did it take Paul to choose the mussel from the Rewe box? "Instantly," the mollusk's England-based agent Chris Davis. Here, German television reporter Stephanie Rahn reports live from Paul's tank after the mollusk tipped Spain to beat Germany in the semifinal.
Paul even correctly predicted that Spain would defeat Netherlands in the final. Paul chooses a winner by snatching a mussel from a transparent box adorned with a nation's flag. After their win, Spanish aquariums offered hundreds of thousands of euros to purchase Paul and transfer him to Spain, where he was considered a national hero for his correct World Cup victory prediction.
Paul wasn't so popular among Netherlands supporters. He has seen worse, however. Recently, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Paul of spreading "western propaganda and superstition" and posing as a symbol of "decadence and decay."
Still, Paul became a cult hero in Spain. One small Spanish town even named Paul an honorary citizen. The town's customary dish: octopus.
Paul broke the hearts of his German fans when he picked Spain over Germany in the semifinal.
Although Paul did tip Germany in the third-place match over Uruguay.
Argentinieans joked about sautéing Paul after he foresaw their 4-0 defeat to Germany in the quarterfinals.
Paul, who was born in England, went against the Three Lions and correctly predicted Germany's 4-1 victory in the round of 16.
Paul correctly predicted Germany's group matches, too, including their stunning 1-0 loss to Serbia. Here, Paul makes a decision between Ghana and Germany.
