José le Donque, Performer and Dreamcatcher, Dies at 14

José le Donque, who revolutionized the donkey’s role in the world
of Hollywood by portraying an array of characters on film and television, passed
away Sunday evening at the age of 14 in the Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada.
He was 14 and lived in Santa Monica, California.

The cause of death has not been released, though it is believed to be drug-related.

José le Donque, born Leonard Donkstein in Westchester, New York, was renowned
for his work in feature films, including Monkeybone, Batman and Robin,
All About My Mother, and Who’s That Donkey? His last feature
was The Princess Diaries, in which he played a skittish, croquet-playing
butler trying to win the heart of Julie Andrews.

He made his debut in the 1995 Adam Sandler film Billy Madison, although
his scene (which involved Norm Macdonald feeding him a bucket of beer) ended up
on the cutting room floor. But his commitment to the role earned him accolades
and a reputation among Hollywood insiders. His big break came when he was offered
$2 million to play spastic quadriplegic artist Christy Brown in the sequel to
My Left Foot. However, due to escalating costs, producers cancelled filming
halfway through and it left le Donque shattered. According to colleagues, this
is when he turned to drugs. Over the last years of his life, le Donque spent more
time in the tabloids and rehab than on Hollywood sets.

At the time of his passing, things were starting to turn around for le Donque.
Proclaiming to be clean and sober, le Donque won an Emmy in 1999 for portraying
an aging cabaret singer on Fox’s "That ’70s Show". He had
also been preparing to play the lead role in the drama "CopDonkey" at the
time of his passing.

Rumors abound that le Donque’s marriage to Vegas hatcheck girl Monique le
Donique had been on the rocks, and le Donque had returned to using drugs and alcohol.
He was recently spotted drinking gimlets and playing on $50,000-a-hand tables
in Las Vegas with Ben Affleck, and masturbating in the back of Colin Farrell’s
Bentley.

Production on "CopDonkey" is said to continue, though no replacement
actor has been named. To add insult to injury, the creators are also currently
involved in litigation over the direction of the television show. Producers could
not be reached for comment.