FORMER Weymouth Sea Life resident Paul the psychic octopus has died at an aquarium in Germany.

Management and staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre were devastated to discover that oracle octopus Paul, had passed away overnight.

Paul, who was born at Weymouth Sea Life Park, made a name for himself by correctly predicting the outcome of this year’s World Cup matches.

Weymouth Sea Life Park spokesman Emma Vagg, said: “Paul obviously became a bit of a worldwide phenomenon and now he’s passed away it’s pretty sad and he will be missed.

“It’s amazing really what he could do, the fact he could predict all the results every time was crazy.

“Octopi are fascinating creatures and our animal care team here interact with our octopus a lot.

“The fact that Paul was so amazing means its great that Oberhausen will be marking his passing with a memorial.”

The death of Paul, who was about two and a half years old, was not entirely unexpected, since common octopuses generally only live a couple of years but this has not lessened the shock felt by his keepers.

Oberhausen centre manager Stefan Porwoll said: “We had all naturally grown very fond of him and he will be sorely missed.

“He appears to have passed away peacefully during the night, of natural causes, and we are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life here and that the care provided him by our dedicated displays team could not have been bettered.”

Paul’s body is now in cold storage, it is expected that he will be given his own small burial plot within the centre grounds and a modest permanent shrine will be erected.

A new, younger common octopus Paul the Second has been acclimatising behind the scenes and has now moved into Paul’s tank.

Paul will also live on as the object of a host of commercial enterprises ranging from special clothing lines to a mobile phone application called Ask the Octopus, inspired by his fame.

He is to be immortalised in a documentary, filmed by US-based production company Cinema Vertige, set to be released early in the New Year.

A lasting legacy of the astonishing global phenomena that was Paul the Octopus is also taking shape on the Greek island of Zakynthos, a permanent sea turtle rescue centre funded in part by donations generated in Paul’s name.