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
“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.
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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