The inspiration for Eddie Murphy's beloved donkey from the Shrek movies has died. Although Murphy is 100 percent responsible for the personality of the donkey (just named "Donkey") the appearance of the animated equine was based on one very specific real-life donkey. That's right, while animators didn't have a real-world reference for Shrek (we hope?) the folks at Dreamworks did base the appearance of Donkey on a gentle soul named Pericles.
According to the New York Post and other sources, Pericles, also known as "Perry," has just passed away at the age of 30 in California. Perry was a Jerusalem miniature donkey, originally from the state of New York, but ended up at Barron Park in California.
On the Barron Park Donkey Instagram page, a remembrance was posted over the weekend with the caption: "We are heartbroken to share that our beloved Barron Park donkey, Perry, passed away yesterday at the age of 30. He was a beloved member of our community and we know many people will be touched by his passing. Memorial plans will be announced soon."
Perry was only five years old when animators first used him as a model for the Shrek character. He (and his handlers) were paid $75 per week for his service. In 2021, Jenny Kiratli, one of Perry's handlers noted that the specific mannerisms of Donkey in Shrek were almost 100 taken from Perry's personality. "It’s amazing how much of our donkey is in Donkey," Kiratli said in 2021. "The way he flips his head when he’s mad at Shrek, the way he trots.”
Eddie Murphy is reportedly set to reprise his role as Donkey and reunite with Mike Myers in Shrek 5, which will hit theaters sometime in 2026.
