Mr. Paul the Octo

BERLIN (AFP) – Paul the octopus, who shot to fame during this year's football World Cup for his flawless record in predicting game results, has died peacefully in his sleep, his German aquarium said Tuesday.

"Management and staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre were devastated to discover that oracle octopus Paul, who achieved global renown during the recent World Cup, had passed away overnight," the aquarium said in a statement.

"He appears to have passed away peacefully during the night, of natural causes," said Sea Life manager Stefan Porwoll.

"His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself... We had all naturally grown very fond of him and he will be sorely missed."

Paul beat the odds during the World Cup by correctly forecasting all eight games he was asked to predict, including Spain's 1-0 win over the Netherlands in the final.

For the prediction, two boxes were lowered into the salty soothsayer's tank, each containing a mussel and the flags of the two opposing teams.

Watched by a crowd of reporters, Paul would head to one box, wrench open the lid and gobble the tasty morsel, with the box he plumped for being deemed the likely winner.

His astonishing ability made him a global media phenomenon. His later predictions were carried live on rolling news channels in Germany.

The probability of his 8 successful World Cup predictions out of 8 attempts is 1/28 = 0.0039, or
0.39% (256 to 1).

Within an hour of his death, more than 150 messages of condolence were posted on Paul's "official" Facebook page.

"Paul, we will never forget you. We love you," wrote one. "There will never be an octopus as cool as you again," wrote another.

Paul himself "wrote" from beyond the grave: "It seems, my time has come, finally. Take care everybody. Hugs and don't forget me."

Paul’s body is now in a refrigerator and is expected to be cremated in the next few days.

The aquarium will now erect a memorial “to honour Paul and on the basis of worldwide interest.”

The memorial will show the “most beautiful and moving moments.”

The urn containing Paul’s ashes will be put on display, as will the Perspex boxes in which the national flags of football teams were lowered into Paul’s tank for him to make his famous predictions.

The 'MAN'.

There u go... a mix and match of a few of the many articles posted at the web about Paul's death. May he Rest In Peace in his octo heaven.