Perry, a Jerusalem miniature donkey, was first brought to California to help calm polo ponies, but instead he nipped at them, according to the project’s website. So in 1997, the “spunky” 3-year-old was brought to Palo Alto’s Bol Park to live in a pasture set aside for donkeys to graze.

Donkey may not have made waffles in the morning — that last part in Eddie Murphy’s voice — without the help of Perry the Donkey. According to a report from the New York Times, Perry the Donkey, who served as the reference for the Eddie Murphy-voiced character in ‘Shrek,

Perry, a 30-year-old donkey, was the motion model for “Donkey” in the 2001 “Shrek” film. He lived at a Palo Alto pasture for nearly 30 years.

Known as the inspiration for Donkey in the 2001 animated classic Shrek, Perry was a beloved staple in the Palo Alto community

"I can attest that many of Donkey’s classic head tilts, eye rolls and bouncy trots were straight from Perry," the animal's handler, Jenny Kiratli, tells PEOPLE

Eddie Murphy gets most of the credit for bringing Shrek’s Donkey to life, but he didn’t do it alone. While Murphy’s signature voice provided the comic timing, Donkey’s physical appearance was based on

“We are heartbroken to share that our beloved Barron Park donkey, Perry, passed away yesterday at the age of 30,” the Barron Park Donkey Project, where he lived before and after his movie-star years, wrote. “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.”

The miniature donkey that was the motion model for Eddie Murphy's character Donkey in the Shrek franchise has died.

Perry — the miniature donkey who was the animation model for the iconic character voiced by Eddie Murphy in the movie Shrek — has died.