Say it ain’t so! Duolingo just announced that Duo the Owl is dead and I’m crying

Language learning app Duolingo has revealed that after many years of pestering you to learn your lessons, their owl mascot Duo is dead. There is little information currently, but they said “Authorities are currently investigating” his cause of death.

For years, Duolingo has crafted Duo – who was once called The Duolingo Owl – into a celebrity in his own right. He takes part in TikTok trends, meets with huge celebrities, and is often seen fighting with people on Twitter. A true icon.

But we will all remember where we were on February 11 because he’s dead!

Duolingo announced Duo’s death on Tuesday

an important message from Duolingo pic.twitter.com/jTTT680yVs

— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 11, 2025

Duo the mascot was first introduced to language learners back in 2011

“It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead,” the brand revealed in a public statement.

“Authorities are currently investigating his cause of death and we are cooperating fully with. Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know? We are aware that he had many enemies, but we kindly ask that you refrain from sharing why you hate him in the comments. If you feel inclined to share, please also include your credit card number so we can automatically sign you up for Duolingo Max in his memory.

In a final even stranger line, the brand said: “We appreciate you respecting Dua Lipa’s privacy at this time.”

Alongside the announcement, Duolingo has also updated all of its social media pictures to show Duo with cartoon-style crossed eyes. It’s really happened, the world has lost a legend.

Duolingo responded with a full explanation

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After the tragic news and a brief period of mourning, an official Duolingo representative told The Tab the statement was part of a marketing stunt.

They told us: “We can confirm the statements in our recent social posts are true. It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved mascot, Duo the Owl. 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. Our app icon reflects this tragic loss with ‘Dead Duo.

“There is an ongoing investigation that we cannot comment on extensively at this time. We know no owl as dedicated as Duo just drops dead without a story. Keep an eye on our social channels as we uncover the shocking (and possibly absurd) truth behind his untimely demise.

RIP DUO. 🦉🪽 https://t.co/HktiqpQmlV

— Yokai Ryujin (@YokaiCapital) February 11, 2025

“We are not actually asking users to publicly share their credit card information (unless they want to help pay for Duo’s extremely expensive funeral, of course—kidding!).”

People just can’t believe it, he’s gone

After just an hour of the obituary post being up on Twitter, it garnered nearly 600k views, 30k likes, and hundreds of comments as people celebrated Duo’s incredible life. Just joking, most people were utterly savage.

Reacting to the devastating news, one person wrote beneath the post: “Bring your own dipping sauce I’m making wings y’all.”

“Even in Duo’s death, he is still yearning for Dua Lipa,” another person said.

A third wrote: “A moment of silence for people who haven’t opened the app since installing it.”

Watch this space, a full obituary is incoming.

Featured image credit: Duolingo

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