Celebrities and scientists mourn mountain lion P-22 at sold-out memorial

City’s most famous feline was euthanized last year after being hit by vehicle, but his legacy lives on with a highway wildlife crossing

On a sunny Saturday in Los Angeles, a packed outdoor crowd of 6,000 people at the Greek Theater cried, sang and swayed together as they bid adieu to one of the city’s most treasured residents: a mountain lion known as P-22.

In a city more synonymous with billboards than biodiversity, an ageing bachelor puma made tracks into people’s hearts. When he was euthanized at the end of 2022 after being hit by a car, it stung.