Uggie, the dog who shot to fame after appearing in the 2011 Oscar-winning film, The Artist, has been put to sleep at the age of 13.
According to TMZ, the Jack Russell terrier was put down on Friday (7th August 2015), following his battle with a prostate tumour. Uggie was best known for playing Jean Dujardin’s dog in The Artist – adding a sense of canine fun to the acclaimed silent movie. He also appeared alongside Robert Pattinson in 2011’s Water for Elephants.
Uggie was the first dog to leave his paw-prints at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
The terrier retired from film work in 2012, after becoming the first dog to leave his paw-prints outside Grauman’s infamous Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Despite his departure from feature-length films, Uggie went on to make sporadic television appearances right up until his illness.
Uggie also won the tongue-in-cheek ‘Palm Dog’ award for best canine actor at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Organisers of the prize have since paid tribute to the late canine, calling him “a special little Jack Russell who gave pleasure to millions.”
Uggie belonged to “dog trainer to the stars,” Omar Von Muller. In a reluctant Facebook post, Von Muller stated: “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.” Von Muller rescued Uggie from the pound before training him.
Watch Uggie’s brilliant performance in The Artist below.
