Lil' Wayne, a neighborhood fixture who also happens to be a duck, was struck and killed in a hit-and-run while crossing the street with his caretaker, Miranda Coleman, on October 14th.

The accident occurred at Bush & Divisadero at about 5:30pm as Coleman was on her way to pick up her son from his after-school program at nearby Cobb Elementary. Lil' Wayne was 1 1/2 years old.

"The car was going so fast that it took a while to stop," said Coleman. "They stopped, looked back and saw it wasn't a human, and drove away." Coleman explained that a passerby ran after the car and got the license plate number; she plans on contacting the police about the incident.

Coleman pointed out that many people are walking with children at that time in the area, and that if she was with her son, the reckless driver could have easily hit him as well.

Lil' Wayne, who we profiled back in May, lived a charmed life since being rescued from a feed store in Oklahoma. Coleman cared for the Cayuga duck deeply, and he was a common sight around the neighborhood. Her son Hendrix and he had formed a formidable bond, she said.

"Hendrix has just been so used to him being around. It's weird not having that presence around. It's like a hole," said Coleman. She reported that Hendrix, who's in 4th grade, does fine during the day, but that he gets sad at night because Lil' Wayne was quite vocal and the two would exchange salutations at bedtime.

"I just told him that there are so many ducks in the world that as soon as Lil' Wayne died, another duck was born. I think that made him feel better."

Coleman has already made plans to get another Cayuga duck, and has located a farm in Gonzales that breeds them. She told us that the newest member of her family is still in egg form, but will enter the world next month.

Here's to Lil' Wayne. You'll be missed.