Tucker, the internet’s beloved golden retriever, dies after battling cancer
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Tucker, who was eight, was diagnosed with lymphoma and died on Sept 2, said his owner Courtney Budzyn.
PHOTOS: TUCKERBUDZYN/INSTAGRAM
- Tucker Budzyn, a beloved golden retriever with millions of social media followers, died suddenly from complications after lymphoma treatment.
- His owner, Courtney Budzyn, shared the emotional news and explained the infection caused by a hole in Tucker's intestine after chemo.
- Tucker's joyful final weeks and huge online impact brought comfort to fans worldwide, with many expressing heartfelt condolences.
AI generated
Tucker Budzyn, one of the most famous dogs on social media, died on Sept 2 after battling cancer.
The eight-year-old golden retriever’s death was disclosed by his owner, Courtney Budzyn, in a video posted on social media on Sept 5.
The heartbreaking news came a week after she said on Aug 30 that Tucker was diagnosed with lymphoma.
“I thought that was the last sad video I was gonna make, but it’s not. Tucker’s gone,” Budzyn said while sobbing. “Tucker passed away on Wednesday unexpectedly.”
She added that he seemed to be doing well with the treatment, but she learnt later that he had lymphoma in his intestines.
“Since the chemo was working so good and he was going into remission, it left a hole in his intestine where the cancer was, and he got an infection that seemed to hit him overnight,” Budzyn said.
She said she rushed him to the vet and thought he could beat the infection. “We got him on antibiotics and fluids, but it was too late. We tried to save him, but we couldn’t.”
Budzyn said everything was done to try to save Tucker. “His temperature kept rising, and there was nothing, and nothing was changing it. We had to let him go,” she added. “Tucker, I love you so much.”
Carrying a box, implied to be containing her dog’s ashes, she said: “He’s home now.”
She added: “There’s nothing in this world that I wouldn’t have done for him. He was literally part of me. He was part of my soul. It feels like I lost a body part.”
Budzyn apologised to Tucker’s fans for his death and said she was initially thinking of doing a photo tribute to him. “But I thought I owed it to you guys to tell you what happened without you wondering – because he’s yours too,” she said.
She said Tucker had the best time of his life in the past three weeks.
“We went to the park several times, and he peed on every single tree he could. He went swimming a couple of times, and his first jump in the pool both times was so powerful and strong,” she said, sharing videos of the dog in action.
Budzyn adopted Tucker in 2018 and began posting his antics on social media.
Over time, his adorable demeanour charmed fans, and he amassed a massive international following across platforms such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
He has more than 11.8 million followers on TikTok, 4.9 million followers on Facebook and 4.5 million followers on Instagram.
Budzyn’s post on Sept 5 had received more than 16 million views on TikTok, with the Facebook post shared more than 28,000 times and the Instagram post more than 48,300 times as at noon on Sept 8.
Artistes such as Hong Kong actresses Anne Heung and Lesley Chiang left comments under the social media post.
“So sorry for your loss. Tucker was so special and brought so much joy to so many people,” Heung wrote on Instagram. “Thank you again for all the sharing over these years. Tucker will be in our hearts.”
Tucker’s death was reported in American magazine People, with the news also posted on its Facebook and X accounts.
