Dua Lipa reacts to Duolingo owl's death: 'Til' death duo part'
If Dua Lipa has no fans left, Duo the Owl is dead. Oh, wait.
Ross and Rachel, Ben and Jen, Duo and Dua − the greatest love stories of our time can be complicated.
On Tuesday, language learning app Duolingo announced via X that their beloved green owl mascot Duo had died.
"It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved mascot, Duo the Owl," a Duolingo spokesperson said in a statement. "For years, he tirelessly reminded millions to do their language lessons − sometimes with gentle nudges, sometimes with sheer, unhinged persistence. But even the most relentless of birds can only take so much."
His untimely death was mourned on X by pop star Dua Lipa, a long unrequited love for the owl.
"Til’ death duo part," Lipa wrote on Wednesday.
Playing on their similar names, the company has built a storyline around the owl thirsting after Lipa. "Over the years, we’ve built brand lore around Duo being in love with her (going so far as to propose outside her concert at Madison Square Garden), and we’re just as shocked (and honored) as anyone that she’s acknowledged his tragic fate," a representative for Duolingo shared in a statement with CNN.
Whether his passing is yet another gimmick has yet to be seen. As many brands have opted in the TikTok age to give their corporate accounts more of an internet-savvy, first-person voice, none have gone so far as Duolingo.
Duo the Owl is snark-obsessed, dancing on the grave of rap star Drake, and butting his big green body into every relevant pop culture moment since he broke on the scene.
The tone of his death has been no different. In a TikTok posted Wednesday, the brand showed Duo being carried in a body bag by two other company mascots serving as pallbearers.
The caption, "guys duo died. btw I'm dead so i hope this is a sad song," is displayed as a crass country tune plays in the background.
The death has been framed as maybe a murder, or at the very least an unexpected passing. On Wednesday, the company shared in a statement "UPDATE: Officials have identified cause of death. More details to follow. Thank you for holding space for Dualingo," remixing his name to play on Lipa's mourning.
As fans wait anxiously to see if the internet will be rid of − or robbed of − Duo's unhinged online presence for good, they can at least rest easy with the knowledge that the one he loved most is mourning him all the same. Sorry, Callum Turner.