Luna, the Vancouver Island killer whale with a reputation for being friendly to humans, was killed after getting too close to a tugboat's propellers.

Dr. John Ford, a scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, confirmed Friday Luna died after being sucked into the propellers of the Vancouver tugboat General Jackson in Nootka Sound, on the west coast of the island.

"There's really no blame," said Ford, referring to the fact Luna loved playing with boats of any kind and seemed able to keep safe.

Luna the killer whale (CP file photo))

The killer whale arrived in the community of Gold River in Nootka Sound in 2001 after he got separated from his pod. He took an interest, and the people of Gold River got used to him.

Luna's friendly nature attracted worldwide attention and brought many tourists to the pulp mill town.

By 2004, Luna's affection for boats and float planes became a hazard. Fisheries officials tried to relocate him down the coast to reunite him with his pod, but local aboriginal people protested.

The Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation believe Luna to embody the spirit of their dead chief who died just days before Luna appeared.

Fisheries authorities and the Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation hammered out an agreement to watch out for Luna, leaving him in the sound.

David Wiwchar, the managing editor of of the Ha-Shilth-sa newspaper, said the tug had arrived in the sound in bad weather, pulling a large log-dumping barge.

Luna was familiar with the General Jackson, went out to meet it, and got sucked into the propellers. He was killed immediately.

"We have been told that the skipper is greatly distressed," said Lara Sloan, spokesperson for the Fisheries Department.

"The tug was idling – it is assumed that Luna was doing what he usually does and that is playing around the propellers."

Ed Thorburn with the Fisheries Department said he had noticed Luna wasn't coming to shore as often in the past few weeks. The whale was also sporting new cuts near his eyes. "He didn't socialize with people on boats so much as rubbing against the bottoms of boats. That's a bit of a change."

Fisheries officials say they are 99 per cent sure Luna is the whale that was killed. Scientists from the department say they will take tissue samples for research purposes and to confirm that it was Luna.