Professor Michael Alvard was the first to capture the bizarre scene. What started out with a simple pink headstone made out of paper quickly grew into a shrine, complete with candles, testimonials, flowers and other random offerings.

A tiny coffin was created for the fallen bug, then a funeral pyre. The roach was cremated a couple of weeks later.

The roach shrine was posted on Reddit where it quickly went viral, making international headlines.

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Ernie Suggs, a reporter at the AJC since 1997, reviews a selection of articles he has contributed to during his time with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as of Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

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University of Georgia students are seen entering and leaving the main Library on the Athens campus on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

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