Uggie the Dog, Star of 'The Artist,' Has Died

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Uggie -- the beloved canine from the Oscar-winning movie The Artist -- has died, his owner Omar von Muller confirmed in a Facebook message.

"We regret to inform to all our friends, family and Uggie's fans that our beloved boy has passed away," the statement reads. "In short, Uggie had a cancerous tumor in the prostate and is now in a better place not feeling pain."


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Expressing his gratitude to all of Uggie's fans, the message continues, "Thank you for your support, I will not be reading any comments for a while as it is too painful at the moment."

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Uggie played "The Dog" alongside Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo in Michel Hazanavicius' silent black-and-white film, The Artist. The movie won five Oscars in 2012, including Best Picture.


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Uggie's other acting credits include The Campaign, with Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell, as well as Water for Elephants, starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon.


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As for his accolades, Uggie received the Palm Dog Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival for his work on The Artist. In 2012, he became the first dog to put his paw prints in cement outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre. It was that ceremony that marked Uggie's retirement from show business.

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In 2012, ET recorded a short film in the spirit of The Artist and Uggie was, of course, the star.

This isn't summer's only canine death. In July, Demi Lovato also lost her dog, Buddy, in a "tragic accident."


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"We are absolutely heartbroken to be writing this but Wilmer and I are devastated to inform you that we lost our little angel Buddy last Sunday," Lovato wrote on her Facebook page. "He was taken from us way too soon in a tragic accident and though I will never know why this had to happen, I do know that God only puts us through situations that we can handle so with that, together we our staying strong."