Colonel Meow, the record holder for furriest cat in the world who amassed a faithful following of Internet fans – called minions – has died.

"Colonel Meow passed away yesterday evening. I will post more about the details when I've had a few days to grieve," read a message posted Thursday on the cat's Facebook page. "Thank you so much for your understanding, Minions. Your love and support has meant the world to us both."

The famously fluffy cat came to fame in August 2012 when his owners created his Facebook page. There, he came to life as a lovingly sassy feline with just as much attitude as fur.

Last year marked several milestones for Colonel Meow. In August, the Himalayan-Persian mix, 2½ years old, broke the record for the cat with the longest fur, as reported by Guinness World Records. During the holidays, he shared screen-time with the likes of Grumpy Cat and Hamilton the Hipster Cat in a Christmas music video. He was even included on Google's 2013 list of trending Internet-famous animals.

Colonel Meow's owners revealed the rescue cat's health problems last year when he was taken to the hospital.

Fans quickly took to Facebook Thursday afternoon to send their condolences and remember the cat with Kate Middleton-worthy hair and a heart set on world domination (mission accomplished!).

"Colonel isn't afraid of other animals or people," his owners said in August. "He greets everyone at the door and will walk right up to anything on the street when we walk him on his leash."