Paul the Psychic Octopus Passes On

Sad news… Paul, the psychic octopus who rocketed to world fame earlier this year for successfully predicting the outcome of World Cup matches (and giving rise to a host of imitators), has died at the age of 2. It’s a sad moment in the California Psychics office. Read on…

Paul, the prognosticating octopus who enthralled millions of people by correctly predicting the outcome of several World Cup matches this year, died of natural causes in Berlin, CNN.com reported Tuesday.

“We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life here,” said Stefan Porwoll, manager of the Oberhausen Sea Life Center in western Germany. “He will be sorely missed.”

Paul’s caretakers set him up to make a match prediction by draping boxes in his tank with the national flags of teams that were set to play, CNN said.

The boxes contained octopus food, and the humans watched to see which box he opened first.

“Paul amazed the world by correctly predicting the winners of all Germany’s World Cup clashes, and then of the final,” Porwoll said in a statement.

Paul will be sorely missed, even by those he predicted against.