Uggie, the dog star from ‘The Artist,’ dies at 13

Uggie, the scene-stealing Jack Russell Terrier who should have been the first animal nominated for an Oscar thanks to The Artist, has died. He was 13.

Uggie was put down on Friday in Los Angeles after suffering from a prostate tumor, reports TMZ. His owner, Omar Von Mueller, told the site that it was a hard to make that decision, but Uggie’s suffering in the last few weeks had only worsened.

The dog’s performance in The Artist, which won the 2011 Oscar for Best Picture, catapulted him to stardom. He even published a ‘memoir’ titled Uggie, My Story in 2012. At the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, he received a special Palm Dog Award and received the Golden Collar Award.

Prior to The Artist, E! News points out that Uggie also starred in Mr. Fix It with David Boreanaz. He retired from acting when he turned 10.

Here’s Uggie playing with a Nintendo DS:

image courtesy of Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com