KOKO THE SIGN LANGUAGE GORILLA HAS DIED AT 46

Koko, the gorilla who mastered sign language, has died.

The Gorilla Foundation said the 46-year-old western lowland gorilla died in her sleep at the foundation's preserve in Northern California's Santa Cruz Mountains on Tuesday..rip KOKO

Koko was taught sign language from an early age as a scientific test subject and eventually learned more than 1,000 words, a vocabulary similar to that of a human toddler.

She became a celebrity who played with the likes of William Shatner, Sting, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robin Williams and Mr. Rogers. At her home preserve, where she was treated like a queen, she ran around with Williams’ eyeglasses and unzipped Rogers’ famous cardigan sweater.

In so doing, Koko showed the American public that a giant ape didn’t have to be scary but wanted to be tickled and hugged.

The Gorilla Foundation said the 280-pound (127-kilogram) western lowland gorilla died in her sleep at the foundation’s preserve in California’s Santa Cruz mountains Tuesday.

Koko appeared in many documentaries, including a 2015 PBS one, and twice in National Geographic. The gorilla’s 1978 National Geographic cover featured a photo that the animal had taken of herself in a mirror.