Japanese dog of 'Doge' meme fame and face of US$23bil cryptocurrency dies

This photo of rescue dog Kabosu, taken in 2010 by owner Atsuko Sato, quickly became an internet sensation. - Courtesy of Atsuko Sato

TOKYO: The Japanese dog whose photo inspired a generation of oddball online jokes and the US$23-billion Dogecoin cryptocurrency beloved by Elon Musk died on Friday (May 24), her owner said.

"She quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her," Atsuko Sato wrote on her blog, thanking the fans of her shiba inu called Kabosu -- the face of the "Doge" meme.