Kevin DiCicco, dog trainer and creator of the popular “Air Buds” movie series, has died at the age of 63, his family announced. DiCicco died in San Diego on March 21 after spending time in hospice care, his brother Mark told TMZ.
DiCicco first gained national attention when he rescued a stray golden retriever near his cabin in Yosemite and trained the dog, named Buddy, to play sports. Buddy’s tricks earned him appearances on “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and “Late Night with David Letterman.”
DiCicco worked with independent producer Keystone Entertainment to flesh out the idea for the film. Miramax acquired the distribution rights to “Air Buds,” and parent company Disney released it as a video. The film’s success spawned a series of sequels, including Air Buds: Spikes Back and Air Buddies, making Buddies an icon in family films and earning DiCicco 11 credits across the series for his creation of the character.
DiCicco faced personal challenges in his later years, including health problems such as COPD that required hospitalization. Although he publicly shared that he faced homelessness in San Diego and battled chronic illness, his focus went beyond Buddy’s legacy and the joy the film brought to audiences.
However, he told FOX 5 San Diego that he didn’t make much money from the movie. “These movies are really engineered to not receive a lot of money,” DiCicco told the news station. “So instead of enjoying those later years and entering retirement, we now find ourselves in a situation where we almost have to start all over again.”
It has been announced that a new installment of the series, Air Bud Returns, will be released in 2025.
