"We took him from near death in Mexico to swimming with wild whales in Norway, " said David Phillips, executive director of the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation.

BBC: NEWS | Entertainment | Keiko the 'Free Willy' whale dies

Keiko rose to fame starring in the children's movies Free Willy, in which he played an orca kept in captivity.

BBC: NEWS | Entertainment | Free Willy whale buried in secret