Kevin DiCicco, owner of ‘Air Bud’ canine Buddy, dies at 63

Kevin DiCicco, the owner and trainer of Buddy, the golden retriever who starred in the “Air Bud” film franchise, died March 21, his family said. He was 63.

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DiCiccio died in San Diego after spending time in hospice care, his brother, Mark, told TMZ. Kevin DiCiccio had been suffering from respiratory issues and had been living at a San Diego-area homeless shelter recently, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Kevin DiCiccio first attracted national attention when he rescued Buddy, who was a stray, near his cabin in Yosemite, Variety reported. He trained the canine to do tricks, which earned the duo appearances in “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and on the Stupid Pet Tricks segments of “Late Night With David Letterman.”

“My obsession with sport, and his obsession with ball playing, the combination of the two, created this tremendous canine athlete,” DiCicco said of Buddy in a 2024 interview with KNSD.

“My obsession with sport, and (Buddy’s) obsession with ball playing, the combination of the two, created this tremendous canine athlete,” he told the television station.

DiCicco worked with Keystone Entertainment to get his idea for a film off the ground. Miramax acquired distribution rights to “Air Bud,” which debuted in 1997, Variety reported. The movie’s success led to several sequels, including “Air Bud: Spikes Back” (2003) and “Air Buddies” (2006). DiCiccio would earn 11 movie credits across the franchise for creating the canine character, according to the entertainment news site.

Another film -- “Air Bud Returns” -- is expected to be released this year, according to IMDb.com.

Buddy died in February 1998 when he was 9 and only appeared in the first “Air Bud” film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. DiCiccio bred and trained three of the dog’s offspring for future movies.

DiCiccio told KNSD that he did not make much money from the films.

“They are so cleverly crafted to make sure that these films don’t really ever receive the big money,” he told the television station. “That’s why we now find ourselves in a position of instead of enjoying those twilight years and sliding into retirement, we’re almost having to start over.”