Basi, the world’s oldest captive giant panda has died at age 37 and was given an emotional send-off befitting a minor celebrity by her handlers in China.

She has outlived most of her peers by nearly two decades. Generally, pandas in the wild have an average lifespan of about 20 years, but those in captivity generally live longer. Basi was something of a beloved star in China and her birthdays were often celebrated delightfully.

The zoo where she lived in southeastern China, also held a memorial in her honour. She had lived at the facility since being rescued from the wild after she fell into a river in southwestern China at the age of four or five, said and was named after the valley where she was found. Basi spent some time abroad when she was loaned to the San Diego Zoo for six months in 1987.