Uggie, the scene-stealing dog actor, has died.
The Jack Russell terrier was probably best known for his role in the Oscar-winning film The Artist. His trainer – and owner – Omar von Muller, announced Uggie’s death on Facebook. The 13-year-old pooch had prostate cancer. His family made the difficult decision to euthanize the dog.
“We regret to inform to all our friends, family and Uggie’s fans that our beloved boy has passed away. We were not planning on posting anything until we healed a little more but unfortunately somebody leaked it to TMZ and they will be announcing it. In short, Uggie had a cancerous tumor in the prostate and is now in a better place not feeling pain. Thank you for your support, I will not be reading any comments for a while as it is too painful at the moment.”
Uggie played the canine buddy in 2011 to Jean Dujardin, who portrayed a fading silent-film star as “talkies” came on the scene.
Dujardin, who brought Uggie on stage when he accepted his Oscar, turned to Instagram to express his sorrow for his “unusual” co-star.
The film won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, actor and director.
Uggie, who was also featured in Water for Elephants, starring Reese Witherspoon, became the first dog to cast his paw-prints on Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame. Witherspoon noted her former co-star’s passing on Instagram.
A photo posted by Reese Witherspoon (@reesewitherspoon) on
It was, in short, that old story: Uggie was a rescue dog who went to Hollywood and made it big.
