Stars of ‘Dolphin Tale’ react after Winter dies at Florida aquarium. ‘Magical animal’
Winter, the famed dolphin with a prosthetic tail that starred in the movie “Dolphin Tale,” died Nov. 11 at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida.
Aquarium officials said Winter was suffering from a gastrointestinal abnormality. The dolphin, an inspiration to many following the 2011 movie with Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr., was 16 years old. Winter “died being held by her caregivers,” the aquarium said in a news release.
“While we are heartbroken by Winter’s death, we are comforted knowing that our team did everything possible to give her the best chance at survival,” veterinarian Dr. Shelly Marquardt said in a statement. “We worked with specialists and marine mammal experts from around the country to provide her with the best care available. Our staff worked around the clock during this challenging time.”
At just 2 months old, Winter was found entangled in a crab trap line, cutting off the circulation to her tail flukes. This led to the loss of her tail, but Winter learned to adapt with the prosthetic tail given to her at the aquarium in Clearwater, which is about 27 miles west of Tampa.
Not only was Winter the inspiration for “Dolphin Tale,” she starred in it. Child actors who worked with Winter in the movie and its 2014 sequel said on Instagram how much the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin meant to them.
Among them was Cozi Zuehlsdorff, the now 23-year-old actor who said she served as an ambassador for the aquarium for more than 10 years after starring in the movie as Hazel Haskett. She called working with Winter “the greatest honor” of her life.
“I got to see first hand all of you who loved her in a way that was so deep,” she said. “Some of you, this was the movie you watched during chemo. Some of you, this is the movie you watched growing up because you had a limb difference and you felt subconscious and Winter helped you find your confidence.”
“For a lot of us, Winter’s passing feels like a death in the family,” she added.
Nathan Gamble, who portrayed Sawyer Nelson in the movies, said the legacy of Winter and her perseverance will live on.
“Am I sad? Devastated,” Gamble said. “But I can’t help but feel grateful that this silly diva dolphin that I fell in love with was with us as long as she was.”
Some of the favorite memories of Austin Highsmith, who played a trainer at the aquarium in the movie, were with Winter, she said in an Instagram post.
“I will miss you forever, Winter,” Highsmith said. “I’m completely heartbroken that I’ll never hear your little tweetybird sound again. I could write forever about how much this dolphin meant to the world.”
Winter remained a fixture at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where guests had opportunities to take photos and get up close to the inspirational animal.
The aquarium said it will plan a memorial to honor Winter’s “positive impact” on the world.
Connick Jr., who was the operator of the aquarium in the movie, also commented on Winter’s death.
“I was so lucky to be able to be in both ‘Dolphin Tale’ movies and get a chance to spend some time with this amazing creature, who really did change the world,” Connick Jr. said in a video he posted on Twitter. “I’m so sorry for all the people at Clearwater Marine Aquarium and all the people who had a chance to be touched by this magic animal.”
On social media, people who had the opportunity to meet Winter or were inspired by her story sent their condolences.
This story was originally published November 12, 2021 at 3:03 PM.