Sam Neill's beloved pet duck Charlie Pickering dies

Sam Neill is heartbroken over the death of his beloved duck Charlie Pickering.

The actor shared the tragic news alongside a video tribute to his pet.

"I am very sad right now," he wrote.

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My dear little friend Charlie died this week in my absence . I am very sad right now . Charlie was an affectionate friendly little creature, and I was very attached to that little duck . Last time I saw Charlie I thought she wouldn’t make it through another winter . We think Charlie was 9 or 10 , which in fairness is a good old age for a duck . I can’t post a pic of Charlie post mortem- too upsetting . But here’s a few bits and pieces of Life with Charlie.

A post shared by SamNeillTheProp (@samneilltheprop) on Aug 22, 2020 at 12:42pm PDT

"Charlie was an affectionate friendly little creature, and I was very attached to that little duck."

Last time I saw Charlie I thought he wouldn't make it through another winter. We think Charlie was 9 or 10, which in fairness is a good old age for a duck. I can't post a pic of Charlie post mortem- too upsetting. But here's a few bits and pieces of Life with Charlie."

Charlie frequently starred on Neill's social media accounts, and in January he even made a guest appearance on Tourism New Zealand's latest marketing campaign.

The duck rose to fame after Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds asked if Sam Neill could be his "dad," after Neill tweeted a video supporting him when he flew across a frozen pond on his Central Otago farm for the first time in years.

"I couldn't be more proud," he wrote.

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Singing with my girlfriend Charlie

A post shared by SamNeillTheProp (@samneilltheprop) on Sep 6, 2018 at 10:29pm PDT

In June Neill expressed his concern for the bird's health.

"He's visibly slowing down apparently," he wrote.

"Pretty old for a duck. I hope he's still around when I get home. Been a good friend."

Charlie is survived by several animal friends on Neill's farm, including Angelica the kunekune pig, Michael Fassbender the rooster, and Helena Bonham Carter the cow.