Jackie the Eagle Dies After Becoming Social Media Star

Los Angeles media has been all over the death of a local celebrity for the past two days. But this time, the dearly departed wasn’t a movie star from the golden age of Hollywood. Instead, Southern Californians and the rest of the world are mourning the death of Jackie, the bald eagle. Jackie, who lived with her partner Shadow in a nest high above the mountain community of Big Bear, died Monday after several weeks in intensive care.

For the past decade, a Big Bear webcam that broadcast the lives of Jackie and her partner Shadow has drawn viewers from around the world, garnering 822,000 subscribers on YouTube and over a million Facebook followers. Eagle fans watched Jackie’s arrival in the nest, the death of an earlier set of eaglets, and Shadow aggressively kicking out Jackie’s earlier partner. (They’re currently watching closely to see if Shadow may have already moved in a new partner, observing practically no mourning period.)

Los Angeles-area news outlets including KNBC, KTLA and others featured news reports Monday night and into Tuesday about the outpouring of support for Jackie. The response from animal lovers both in California and worldwide has nearly approached the reaction to the death of mountain lion P-22, who was euthanized in 2022 and has since been memorialized with an annual festival and a line of merch benefiting the parks department.

The eagle’s fans included actress Holly Robinson Peete, who wrote, “She was regal, fierce, and deeply devoted. Jackie made millions of us care about one nest in a tree like it was our own backyard.”

California senator Adam Schiff also paid tribute, writing, “Devastated to learn of the passing of California’s pride, Jackie, earlier today. Any visitor to my Washington office in the past year knows our office proudly showed the livestream of Jackie’s nest showing alongside C-SPAN and national news.”

Jackie, who was estimated to be about 14 years old, recently hatched two eaglets, Sandy and Luna, who have already flown the nest after their April birth. Jackie was found grounded after a fight with younger eagles in July, and may have already been ill, according to veterinarians. She had also been suffering from anemia.

The Ojai Raptor Center released a statement, saying “Throughout her time at Ojai Raptor Center, every decision was guided by the available medical evidence, her welfare, and our responsibility to do what was in her best interest. Our team is heartbroken. It has been an extraordinary privilege to care for her.”

Could a feature deal — or at least a documentary — about the life and loves of Jackie be far away?