A morbidly obese monkey that was rescued from a market where shoppers fed him chocolates has died.

The massive crab-eating macaque named Godzilla suffered a myriad of weight-related illnesses before passing away at the Crystal Pet Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 6.

He was six years old.

The hospital's director, Dr Supasek Sarachitti, said Godzilla had thyroid disease, diabetes, and Cushing's syndrome or overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol, all of which contributed to his shortened lifespan.

The species can live up to 37 years in captivity.

Dr Supasek said: "Let's send Godzilla to heaven. I told you many years ago, you may not live long due to your diseases. You were at risk of having a heart attack. Your owner came by to take care of you every day, until this day finally came. You passed away peacefully in the arms of your owner."

Godzilla's body has been cremated and returned to his previous caretaker Manop Emsan, from whom he was seized three years ago.

Wildlife officials accused the family of killing the monkey with kindness, feeding him junk food whenever he wanted.

Visitors to the market stall would also ply the primate with sugary junk food.

The family were banned from seeing Godzilla while he recovered but later granted visitation rights due to their perseverance to see him. His condition never improved.

Manop, who maintains they treated the monkey well, said: "Godzilla's ashes have been picked up. The undertaker said his bones were very white.

"We are so sad that he has gone. He was like our family. We saved him when he was abandoned and treated him well.

"He should never have been taken away from his home as he loved eating what he gave him."

Godzilla had weighed 19kg (41.9 lbs) - nearly double the standard weight of normal macaques - before he was rescued from a market in Bangkok in 2021.

Authorities found him chained up and bloated, with passers-by inadvertently harming him by feeding him high-sugar treats like fruits, nuts, chocolate, and sweet drinks.

He was then sent to undergo "fat camp" at a wildlife centre in Chachoengsao province, where he was placed on a strict diet of dill, lettuce, crickets, worms, sunflower seeds, and other nutritious foods.

Manop and his family were eventually permitted to visit Godzilla and interact with him in the pool.

They claimed that they initially took him in when his parents were killed by a car when he was a baby, and a previous owner had abandoned him.

Despite being illegal under the country's wildlife laws, the family kept the monkey as a pet and allowed him to snack all day while they operated their meatball stall.

However, officials from the Bureau of Wildlife Conservation stated that Godzilla would not be returned to the family as keeping him as a pet is against the law.

Additionally, releasing him into the wild was not an option as he would struggle to survive on his own, having become pampered and unable to fend for himself.

The situation sparked controversy, with supporters of Manop believing that authorities should allow him to keep Godzilla. They argued that he treated it like family and could continue to do so with guidance from officials.

However, some also believed that keeping wildlife as pets is illegal and that allowing visitation rights was a reasonable compromise.

Godzilla's case has been likened to another macaque in Thailand named "Uncle Fatty", who ballooned to a whopping 27kg (60 lbs) after being "killed by kindness" by the locals.

Uncle Fatty is believed to have eaten himself to death as he has not been seen since 2019.