SeaWorld, Jan. 6, 2017 ... On Friday, January 6, 2017, the SeaWorld killer whale Tilikum died. He had inspired the documentary Blackfish and spurred animal-rights activists to call for the release of captive marine mammals. SeaWorld released the following statement:

"The SeaWorld family is deeply saddened to announce that one of its most well-known orcas, Tilikum, has passed away. Tilikum passed away early on the morning of January 6, surrounded by the trainers, care staff and veterinarians that provided him around-the-clock world-class care.

"Like all older animals, Tilikum had faced some very serious health issues. While the official cause of death will not be determined until the necropsy is completed, the SeaWorld veterinarians were treating a persistent and complicated bacterial lung infection. The suspected bacteria is part of a group of bacteria that is found in water and soil both in wild habitats and zoological settings.

"Tilikum’s veterinarians and caretakers delivered various treatment regimens over the course of this illness, which consisted of, among other things, combinations of anti-inflammatories, anti-bacterials, anti-nausea medications, hydration therapy and aerosolized antimicrobial therapy.

"While today is a difficult day for the SeaWorld family, it’s important to remember that Tilikum lived a long and enriching life while at SeaWorld and inspired millions of people to care about this amazing species.

"Tilikum’s life will always be inextricably connected with the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Dawn Brancheau. While we all experienced profound sadness about that loss, we continued to offer Tilikum the best care possible, each and every day, from the country’s leading experts in marine mammals.

"'Tilikum had, and will continue to have, a special place in the hearts of the SeaWorld family, as well as the millions of people all over the world that he inspired,” said President & CEO of SeaWorld Joel Manby. 'My heart goes out to our team who cared for him like family.'"

"Tilikum became a part of SeaWorld’s family 25 years ago. Estimated to be about 36 years old, Tilikum was near the high end of the average life expectancy for male killer whales according to an independent scientific review.

"Tilikum was not born at or collected by SeaWorld. He came to us from Sealand of the Pacific in Canada. SeaWorld has not collected a whale from the wild in nearly 40 years, and this past March we announced the end of the orca breeding program effectively making the whales currently at SeaWorld the last generation of orcas under human care."

The movie Blackfish spawned controversy that led to extensive negative publicity for SeaWorld. The 2013 movie detailed Tilikum's life and presented the perspective that the stress of captivity turned him into a killer. More than three years after the film's release, SeaWorld is still coping with the resulting financial and public relations fallout. Facing declining profits and attendance and canceled corporate partnerships, SeaWorld last year ended breeding of orcas, which means that, eventually, the orca program will end.

A Miami Herald story about Tilikum's death noted that after Blackfish was released, "SeaWorld's CEO [Joel Manby] acknowledged that the public's attitude had changed about keeping killer whales captive. 'We needed to move where society was moving,'" Manby told the Miami Herald.

Tilikum was captured in Iceland in 1983 at Hafnarfjörður, near Reykjavík; after a year he was transferred to Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia. He was later transferred in 1992 to SeaWorld in Orlando.

We at Scuba Diving magazine mourn Tilikum's death. We also continue to grieve for Dawn Brancheau, who died doing what she loved. We hope that the inspiration Tilikum provided will spell the end of marine mammals held in captivity, and that SeaWorld will find its place as a facility that works with sick or injured marine mammals, with the sole purpose of releasing them back into the wild once they are healthy.