Oldest chimp in U.S. zoo dies at 63

San Francisco Zoo reported the death of Cobby, a "much-loved primate" and 1960s TV star who was 63 years old. Cobby was the oldest chimp in the U.S., reportedly.

In 2015, an Australian filmmaker making a documentary about Cobby described to the Guardian his short-lived career in 1960s children's TV, trying out human activities in a series of shorts called Cobby's Hobbies.

"There was a set that Cobby would be put in and he'd play all of the parts, including his wife, Cobina, and also his own conscience, which was dressed as an angel," said Donna McRae. "Cobby's inner monologue would narrate the episodes. Cobina sounded a bit like Zsa Zsa Gabor, while his conscience sounded like a classically trained English actor. Cobby himself sounded like he was from the Bronx."