On the four year anniversary of his controversial death, fans all across the world are remembering the popular gorilla known as Harambe. On May 28, 2016, Harambe was famously shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden after a three-year-old child had gotten into his enclosure. To ensure the boy wasn't hurt, zookeepers made the difficult decision to kill the gorilla with a single rifle shot, ending his life one day after his 17th birthday. Videos of Harambe's final moments then immediately went viral in the hours following his death, turning the late primate into an internet phenomenon overnight.

Those who love Harambe insist the gorilla would have never harmed the child who climbed into his enclosure, with some even suggesting that it looked like Harambe was trying to protect the boy. This outlook brought about major backlash online and thousands had taken to social media to decry the animal's killing as unjust. These sentiments expanded into countless memes, videos, songs, and other ways of paying tribute to Harambe, giving the late ape everlasting fame and thousands of fans that continue to honor the world's most beloved gorilla to this very day.

Now, four years after that fateful day at the zoo, Harambe is again trending on Twitter as his fans remember the life and death of their favorite primate. "It's now been 4 years without Harambe - the world has gone downhill ever since," says one fan, posting a photo of Harambe from happier times. "Pour one out for Harambe. He would've been 21 yesterday if he wasn't murdered in cold blood on this day 4 years ago," another fan states. Echoing many others, another tweet reads: "Never forget the legend Harambe. There's not a day that goes by where I don't feel sad about his death." And these tweets are just the tip of the iceberg.

Harambe has been remembered in many other interesting ways in the past four years. He was featured in a fan-made video game called Harambe vs. Capcom, featuring the gorilla duking it out with Street Fighter characters. Rappers Young Thug and Dumbfoundead would also release tribute songs for Harambe, as would the dubstep artist Excision. Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk would release a tribute song for Harambe, performed by Yung Jake and produced by BloodPop. Harambe can also often be seen in memes depicting heaven, with the gorilla standing in the clouds along with other recently-deceased celebrities.

In any case, all of this attention surrounding Harambe on the fourth anniversary of his passing makes it clear that the famous gorilla will not be forgotten by his fans anytime soon. Looking at the comments online, you'd almost think the shooting had just happened yesterday, as Harambe appears to be generating just as much discussion today as he had at the time of his death. Gone too soon through no real fault of his own, Harambe's death was certainly a tragedy, and may he rest in peace. From Twitter, you can take a look at some of the many posts honoring Harambe for this occasion below.