Tommy, a 3,000-pound Brown Swiss ox from Cheshire's Winterpast Farm, is shown with his owner and best friend, Fred Balawender. Tommy died in his sleep on March 26 at about 15 1/2 years old.

CHESHIRE — Tommy the ox didn’t know he was famous.

All he knew was ramming a tree could make the apples fall, that people — especially little children — were always friends, and that when he heard the rumble of a certain farm truck, his best friend was coming.

The towering brown Swiss, who grew from a 100‑pound calf to a 3,000‑pound gentle giant, a Guinness World Records titleholder and social media star, died quietly in his sleep last week at about 15 1/2 years old.

For his owner, 81-year-old Fred Balawender, who bought Tommy when he was just a day or two old, it feels like losing a family member.

“He loved me as much as I loved him,” said Balawender, the owner of Winterpast Farm in Cheshire. “He was a very special animal.”

Balawender purchased Tommy as a newborn calf for just $10 in 2010. At the time, Tommy was destined to be part of a beef project at the family's farm, which sells beef and hay. But before he even turned a year old, it was clear he would never leave.

“He just got to a point where he was so friendly and so with us, I mean, he would follow me around the pasture,” he said. “We were friends … basically since he was born. And it wasn't part of a beef project anymore. He was our baby.”

Tommy's days were simple and full. He bossed the herd around with a gentle authority, followed his family through the pastures, submitted happily to long back scratches and consumed extraordinary amounts of hay, apples, bread and — on special occasions — doughnuts.

For all his record-breaking size and power, Tommy was known above all for his gentleness.

He carried an enormous set of horns and enough strength to push a full-grown Angus bull clean out of a barn — which he once did when challenged. But he never used that strength to destroy or inflict pain.

“There was never a time that he was mean or nasty … . He could have destroyed any building or anything. He never did,” Balawender said. “​​His disposition was just kind, gentle, loving, humble.”

Tommy loved all people, but he had a special tenderness for children, Balawender said. They could run up to him, grab his horns and ears, cling to his legs, and he would simply stand there and let them.

Fred Balawender feeds Tommy at Winterpast Farm in Cheshire. The ox, who died on March 26, consumed extraordinary amounts of hay, apples, bread and — on special occasions — doughnuts.

"They always say, don't trust a big animal," Balawender said. "I trusted him completely. He was just one of a kind."

He was also, for a cattle animal, remarkably smart. He knew the distinct sound of his owner's truck and would be waiting at the fence before Balawender even pulled in. He even figured out that ramming an apple tree with his horns would send fruit raining down.

“Cattle aren't that smart. But he was,” Balawender said. “That was the best part of him; just watching him sometimes.”

On the farm, Tommy served as an ambassador. Visitors came from near and far, including one family of five who drove all the way from Missouri to spend an entire afternoon with him.

“Where else could you find an animal that size, that kind of disposition, that little kids can just go up and grab him and hug him?” Balawender asked.

His daughter, Laurie Cuevas, then shot Tommy into global fame.

Cuevas had been posting lighthearted animal clips on TikTok — mostly goats — at her cousin's suggestion on her profile, dairygoatmother. Then she came across a simple video of her father scratching Tommy with a long stick and decided to upload it.

By the next morning, the clip had about 15 million views.

“People were just crazy about him,” Cuevas said. “Every time I posted one, there was like, ‘more and more. We want more.’ And I got comments in like every language, from all over the world. It was crazy.”

Through her TikTok account, @dairygoatmother, Laurie Cuevas gave the world a glimpse into life on the farm in Cheshire with her father, Fred Balawender, and his "favorite child" — a 6-foot, 5-inch tall, 3,000-pound ox named Tommy. Cuevas’ videos racked up millions of likes on TikTok, and made Balawender and Tommy a source of joy for people around the globe.

Over time, Cuevas' account grew to around 250,000 followers, and Tommy's videos racked up millions of likes on TikTok alone. During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, those quiet, gentle scenes between the man and his ox struck a chord with people starved for warmth.

"I try to post as uplifting content as I can. And I think that just resonated with people when they needed something to look at and have a little lightness," Cuevas said. "Their timing was perfect … . They just made people feel good."

Tommy's online fame eventually caught the attention of the Guinness World Records team in London. A representative reached out asking whether the family would be willing to have him officially measured.

He measured more than 6 feet from hoof to shoulder, and his broad head and sweeping horns pushed him to nearly 8 feet tall

They submitted the footage and data and received an official Guinness certificate confirming Tommy’s title as the world’s largest living ox in his category since the previous record holder had died.

A film crew later arrived to shoot video, take promotional photos and even fly a drone over the pasture while Tommy and his owner walked below. He was featured as part of the campaign for the 2024 Guinness World Records edition.

Tommy died the same week he appeared on the front page of Country Folks, a regional farm magazine. The March 25 issue ran a large photo of him alongside the headline "Tommy the Brown Swiss has a loyal following." He died the next morning.

“He loved me as much as I loved him,” said Fred Balawender, the owner of Winterpast Farm in Cheshire. “He was a very special animal. He was our baby.”

Balawender said Tommy had simply gone to bed as usual — but he never got up.

"He spared me," Balawender said quietly. "At some point, we would have had to have him put down, because he was never going to go to the beef market, ever. He spared us from having to call a veterinarian or having to put him down myself."

The death was unexpected, but Balawender believes it was natural: the peaceful end of a long life for an animal of extraordinary size and spirit.

"That was tough, even for this old man," he said. "I lost a really good friend."

Tommy is buried on a hill overlooking the pasture, a quiet spot above the farm he watched over for so many years. Balawender plans to mark the grave with a large boulder and imagines family picnics there one day.

"In return for him living this long, he gave us an awful lot of enjoyment," he said.