The 10 Saddest Celebrity Pet Deaths

From Jessica’s pup Daisy to Oprah’s pooch Ivan, we pay our respects to the famous animals in that pet park in the sky
By Kate Hogan
Updated May 21, 2010 09:23 PM

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JESSICA SIMPSON

Credit: Brandon Todd/Splash News Online

The sultry singer was sent into a “tailspin” last September after a coyote snatched her beloved maltipoo Daisy before her own eyes. Though Simpson campaigned tirelessly for her pup’s return, she was never found.

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JOHN TRAVOLTA

Credit: Kevork Djansezian/AP

Just 15 months after losing son Jett, Travolta and wife Kelly Preston suffered another blow this May when a service vehicle struck and killed their two dogs at an airport in Bangor, Maine.

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OPRAH WINFREY

No stranger to pet loss, having owned several dogs throughout the years, Winfrey was nonetheless shocked when her new cocker spaniel rescue puppy, Ivan, succumbed to the Parvo virus last spring.

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OZZY OSBOURNE

Credit: Chad Buchanan/Getty

Even this was too dark for the prince of darkness: Osbourne’s Pomeranian, Little Bit, was devoured by a coyote behind the singer’s Los Angeles home last summer, as he watched TV with wife Sharon.

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CESAR MILLAN

The Dog Whisperer lost his beloved pit bull and sometime costar Daddy in February, at the ripe old age of 16. But he didn’t mourn; instead, he honored the wise pup with 500 candles, and stayed “joyful” by thinking about their time together.

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MARTHA STEWART

Credit: Courtesy Martha Stewart, inset: Marion Curtis/Startraks

One of the more heartbreaking pet deaths was that of Stewart’s chow chow puppy Ghenghis Khan, who perished when a propane tank at his kennel exploded in early 2009. Fifteen other dogs died in the blast, as well.

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TORI SPELLING

Credit: Janet Gough/Celebrity Photo

Before Liam and Stella, there was Mimi LaRue, the actress’s beloved pug. A staple in Spelling’s reality shows (and on the red carpet), she died of natural causes in 2008. “She was a loving pet and a true diva to the end,” Spelling told PEOPLE.

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GEORGE CLOONEY

Credit: Shooting Star

The eternal bachelor shared his heart with one lucky soul – Max the pig, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 18. “He was as old a pig as the vets had ever seen,” Clooney said. “He’s been a big part of my life.”

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BILL CLINTON

Credit: Barbara Kinney/Getty

Clinton’s desire to have “one loyal friend in Washington” led to the gifting of Buddy, a bubbly chocolate Lab, in 1997. But tragedy struck in 2002, when the pooch ran in front of a car on an upstate New York highway, and died on impact.

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MICKEY ROURKE

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After he thanked his dogs for their love during his acceptance speech at the 2009 Golden Globes, The Wrestler star said goodbye to Loki, his 17-year-old Chihuahua, just weeks later.

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By Kate Hogan