This morning, on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, Greg James voiced a statement from the University of York in which it was announced that "we are today forced to conclude that [Long Boi] has passed away."
It continued, "We appreciate this is not the resolution that many people were wishing for, but hope that acknowledging his passing allows us to focus on celebrating his life and commemorating the time he spent with us."
James ran a segment on the show highlighting how Long Boi had a song written about him, was featured on the Breakfast Show and has amassed a social media following over 57,000 people on Instagram.
In the remainder of the show, James stated that he would run tributes to Long Boi from those around the country as well as those from York in memory of the duck so that listeners could mourn together.
As part of the statement, it was announced that YUSU was planning a "fitting tribute" to the duck, and on Instagram expanded that this would involve an official fundraising campaign.
Posting on Instagram, the University of York also stated that in memory of Long Boi, they recommend that "you do something for the local environment, such as feeding the ducks at your local pond or making a charitable donation in Long Boi's memory" instead of leaving floral tributes.
This announcement comes about a week and a half after Nouse broke official confirmation that Long Boi "had not been seen for some time" and after there has been no confirmed sighting of the duck in two months.
