Hugh Jackman and his family are in mourning following the death of their beloved French Bulldog, Dali, who passed away just a few weeks away from his 12th birthday.
"It’s a very sad day for our family," Jackman posted on Instagram, noting that Dali has lived to a ripe old age by French Bulldog standards, and that he'd had a really good life and was beloved by the whole world.
Dali definitely seems to have been a little dog with a big personality. Jackman says that he nicknamed him Rockstar, as he very much marched to the beat of his own drum.
"We will miss him," he added, "but know he's howling in heaven, ruling the roost and enjoying the all you can eat buffet."
And while the death of a much-loved pet is never easy, it certainly seems that Dali was in good health right up until the end of his life.
French Bulldogs are prone to their own unique health problems (see our guide to six common French bulldog health issues to learn more), but Dali was still up and about for a walk on the beach just six weeks ago:
Hugh Jackman's Instagram account is testament to his love of both Dali and his other dog, a Poodle Terrier mix named Allegra.
Of course, as an in-demand actor he's regularly been away from his pups for long periods of time, but as this post clearly shows, Dali coped with his human's absence pretty well.
French Bulldogs are the second most popular dog in the US, and they're playful and affectionate as well as being utterly adorable; you can learn more about them in our guide to six fascinating French bulldog facts, where you'll also discover that they do have a tendency to fart a lot!
They can sometimes be tough little pups to train, as our guide to how to train a French Bulldog attests. They're smart little dogs but can be stubborn and obstinate, and that's clearly a barrier that Jackman came up against.
In another Instagram post he recalls that when he first brought Dali home, he got in a trainer who took one look and said, "Oh you have a Frenchie... I’m not going to waste my time or take your money."
Regardless of his untrainable nature, the Jackman family loved Dali, trained or not, and we're sure they're missing him terribly right now. You can see much more of Dali the rockstar Frenchie (not to mention Allegra) over on Hugh Jackman's Instagram account.
