In devastating news for Sydney’s penguin-loving population, one of Sea Life Sydney Aquarium’s famous penguins – best known for his world-famous same-sex relationship – has died, leaving his partner Magic behind. Since their loving relationship made global headlines back in 2018, Sphen and Magic have been known as Sydney’s penguin power couple, but Magic isn’t the only penguin (or person) left heartbroken by Sphen’s passing.
Before Sphen passed away earlier this month, the couple celebrated six years together – a relationship so important that it’s been included in the NSW education syllabus, and featured in the Netflix series Atypical, as well as countless books and documentaries. Their love affair even inspired a float at Sydney Mardi Gras.
“Sphen and Magic’s love story captivated the world and it’s been an honour to welcome local and international fans, some of which travelled long distances to see them in real life. The team’s focus is now on Magic, who will soon prepare for his first breeding season without Sphen,” Richard Dilly, General Manager at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium explained.
According to the Sea Life team, Sphen and Magic’s bond was stronger than that of most penguin couples – with the pair spending time together outside of breeding time, and successfully welcoming not one but two adopted chicks (Sphengic and Clancy) into their happy family.
As the older penguin of the pair, Sphen was almost 12 years old when he passed, which is a good age for gentoo penguins who generally don’t live for longer than 13 years. When he found out about his partner’s death, Magic began singing, and the whole colony joined him in a heart-wrenching eulogy.
“We want to take this opportunity to reflect and celebrate Sphen’s life, remembering what an icon he was, the unique bond he shared with Magic and the positive impact he made in the world,” Dilly said. If you’ve been touched by their love, you can leave a message for Magic and Sphen over here.
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