Grizzly 399, a famous grizzly bear beloved by countless professional wildlife photographers for decades, has died in a car accident.

399, known only by her survey number, has been a fixture in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, since 2007, becoming the most famous and most photographed grizzly bear in the world.

However, park officials announced that 399 people were killed after a vehicle struck her Tuesday evening on Highway 26/89 in Snake River Canyon, south of Jackson, Wyoming.

399 was believed to be 28 years old and one of the oldest known grizzly bears still reproducing.

The bear’s identity was confirmed using ear tags and a microchip.

Park officials say 399 was carrying a yearling cub. The cub is believed to have been uninjured, but its whereabouts are unknown.

Officials with Grand Teton and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say they are monitoring the area.

“Wildlife collisions and conflicts are unfortunate. We are grateful the driver is doing well and understand the community is saddened to hear of the death of grizzly bear 399,” Angi Bruce, director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, said in a statement.

A grizzly who was the ‘big seller of Canon lenses’

Of the estimated 730 grizzly bears that live in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, 399 have become a real celebrity among wildlife photographers.

Grizzly 399 was born in Grand Teton National Park in 1996. According to The Washington PostBy the mid-2000s, several photographers had made careers after 399.

Chris Servheen, the former grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, even joked that the 399 was a “big seller of Canon lenses.”

Every spring, wildlife photographers eagerly awaited the 1,000-pound grizzly bear emerging from her den to see how many cubs she had given birth during the winter.

“The grizzly bear is an iconic species that makes the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so special. Grizzly bear 399 has perhaps been the most prominent ambassador for the species,” said Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins.

“She has inspired countless visitors around the world to pursue conservation and will be missed.”

Earlier this year, acclaimed wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen lost an extraordinary $20,000 legal battle over a traffic ticket that arose after he slowed his car to check on an injured 399.

Image credits: Header photo via NPS.