R.I.P. Uggie, Adorable 4-Legged Star of The Artist

Uggie the dog, the adorable canine star of the Academy Award-winning 2011 film The Artist, has died.

According to BBC News, the 13-year-old Jack Russell terrier was put to sleep after a short battle with cancer. His owner, Omar Von Muller, published an official statement on Facebook shortly after gossip website TMZ broke the news late Tuesday night.

“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 stole the show as the dog of French actor Jean Dujardin‘s character in The Artist. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won five, including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Dujardin.

The pup also starred in Water for Elephants with Robert Pattinson and several minor guest spots on television. His owner retired him from acting in 2012.

[h/t BBC News]
[Image via Shutterstock.com]

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