VANCOUVER - The beluga whale that inspire the Raffi hit died at the Vancouver aquarium, she was 46.

Veterinarian Dr. Martin Haulena had been conducting tests to determine the whale's changes in behaviour before specialists were brought in last week to offer additional help, a press release said.

Marc Smith, who fed Kavna and the aquarium's other belugas in May as part of a month-long adventure program, was saddened by the news.

"When I was with them, they were so playful and peaceful and serene," he said Monday.

The animal, estimated to be 46-years-old, was also the oldest beluga in captivity in North America.

The beluga was captured in 1976 near Churchill, Manitoba. Raffi wrote his hit "Baby Beluga" in 1979 after meeting the wahle.

A full necropsy will be performed to determine the cause of death, however, Kavna was considered to be at the end of its natural lifespan.

Kavna's death follows that of three-year-old beluga Tiqa, who died last September, and dolphin Spinnaker, who died in March. Only two belugas remain at the Vancouver Aquarium.