Lizzo’s dog Pooka, who turned 18 earlier this year, died on Christmas Eve, the singer announced on Instagram.
“We will always love you, Pooka Diamanté Jefferson,” she said on Instagram Dec. 25 alongside a picture of her with Pooka and her mom and sister. The post included the dog’s birthday — April 10, 2005 — and the day she died, this past Christmas Eve.
In a second post of 10 pictures shared on the same day, Lizzo said, “I’m not ok im so heartbroken rip Pooka.”
Some of her 12.5 million followers expressed condolences in the comments.
“I’m so sorry. Losing a pet is losing a family member. That empty space will take a long time to feel full and safe again. Be kind to yourself and give yourself time to grieve,” a fan wrote on her second post.
“Pet loss is the worst. Take care of yourself and grieve however you need to,” another wrote.
Prior to announcing Pooka’s death on Christmas day, Lizzo posted a video promoting Yitty, her women’s apparel company. In the video, Lizzo sits with Pooka on her lap.
“Merry Christmas from the C-E-ho at Yitty and Pooka,” Lizzo says while holding Pooka in her arms. “Pooka always has on her white, pet-me onesie from Yitty. So go on and get you one and be like Pooka. Merry Christmas y’all and happy holidays.”
Lizzo waved Pooka’s paw to close out the video.
Some fans returned to this post to speculate about whether Lizzo’s dog was alive when the video was filmed.
“Knowing the dog is dead now … makes me wonder if the dog was dead during this. Which makes this entire ad much creepier,” one person commented.
“Is the dog alive?” a third asked.
Others think Pooka was alive and just at the end of her life.
“the dog looks to be breathing … just very small breathes. Must’ve been right before he passed,” someone replied to the first comment listed above.
On TikTok, Lizzo offered more context about the post, saying she posted the ad “in her memory.”
TODAY.com has reached out to Lizzo for comment.
