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She became friends with Leonardo DiCaprio. She taught Mr. Rogers the sign for love and cradled the children's TV show host in her lap. She once grabbed William Shatner by the testicles after he entered her cage and repeatedly told the animal he loved her. Koko also caused actor and comedian Robin Williams to crack up laughing by raising his shirt and tickling him.

\"PHOTO:
The Gorilla Foundation/Koko.org, file
PHOTO: Koko the gorilla holds a kitten.
>

\"To look into the eyes of a 300-pound gorilla and have her tell you what she's thinking is truly humbling,\" actress Betty White said after visiting Koko in 2012.

In 2016, Koko even jammed with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.

\"This is the greatest thing that could happen,\" Flea said after he handed Koko his bass and she plucked it. “This is a day that I will never forget in my life.\"

The gorilla was featured in multiple documentaries, including \"Koko: A Talking Gorilla\" that was screened at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival.

Koko was also featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine twice.

She became so famous she learned how to autograph photos for fans.

The Gorilla Foundation said that through Patterson's tutelage, Koko learned more than 1,000 words in sign language and came to understand more than 2,000 words spoken to her in English.

While she never had offspring of her own, in 1983 Koko \"adopted\" a kitten, a gray male Manx named \"All Ball.\" When the cat was hit by a car and killed in 1985, Koko grieved for months and once signed \"sad bad trouble\" when asked about the kitty.

She even helped Patterson pen a children's book about \"All Ball\" titled, \"Koko's Kitten.\"

In 2015, the staff at the Gorilla Foundation surprised Koko with a box containing a litter of kittens. Koko picked out two, naming them \"Ms. Gray\" and \"Ms. Black\" and used sign language to communicate to her trainer that the kittens were her babies.

\"Koko's capacity for language and empathy has opened the minds and hearts of millions,\" the foundation said in its statement.

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