Kevin DiCicco, "Air Bud" Creator, Dies at 63

Kevin DiCicco, the dog trainer and creator behind the beloved “Air Bud” film franchise, has died. He was 63.

DiCicco died on in San Diego after spending time in hospice care on March 21, his brother Mark told TMZ.

DiCicco drew attention when he rescued a stray Golden Retriever near his Yosemite cabin and trained the dog — named Buddy — to play sports.

The canine's tricks landed him on “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and “Late Night With David Letterman.”

DiCicco worked with independent producer Keystone Entertainment to get his idea for a film off the ground.

Miramax acquired distribution rights to “Air Bud,” which was released straight to video by its parent company, Disney.

The movie’s success spawned a slew of sequels, including “Air Bud: Spikes Back” and “Air Buddies,” turning Buddy into a family film icon and earning DiCicco 11 credits across the franchise for creating the character.

Buddy died in February 1998 at age 9 — he only appeared in the first entry — but DiCicco bred and trained three of his offspring to keep things going.

DiCicco faced personal challenges in his later years, including health issues such as COPD that required hospitalization.

He publicly shared that he had been facing homelessness in San Diego and dealing with chronic illness, but his focus remained on the legacy of Buddy and the joy the franchise brought to audiences.

Even though the franchise by some estimates have raked in more than $200 million, DiCicco didn’t receive much of the profits.

“They are so cleverly crafted to make sure that these films don’t really ever receive the big money,” DiCicco told Fox 5 San Diego. “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.”

A new installment in the franchise, “Air Bud Returns,” was announced in 2025.