Tom Brady's dog Lua passed away just two days before Christmas, with the NFL hero paying a heartbreaking tribute to his beloved pet on Instagram.
Brady announced the news on his social media account on Saturday, sharing old photos of his children cuddling the dog.
“We love you Lua,” Brady wrote, before adding a separate message. 'Forever in our hearts.'
Brady appears to be on a ski vacation with his children, according to a subsequent post on his Instagram story.
Brady, 46, adopted the dog with his ex-wife, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Tom Brady's dog Lua died heartbreakingly two days before Christmas
The NFL legend posted an emotional tribute to the dog on social media on Saturday
Brady adopted the dog with his ex-wife, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen
Brady is a noted dog lover and has even previously volunteered at a shelter in Tampa
It is unknown if Lua stayed with Bundchen or Brady after they split in late 2022.
But Bundchen posted her own tribute, with a video on her Instagram Story on a post captioned: “Our little Lulu, our guardian angel has gone to heaven. She will live on in our hearts forever.
“We miss her so much already #unconditionallove RIP Lua.”
Brady is a noted dog lover; he has even volunteered with his children at a dog shelter before.
A worker at the Tampa shelter shared a photo of him with son Ben and daughter Vivien on the day he retired this year – February 1.
“I guess I'll chime in with my Tom Brady story, but it's not about seven Super Bowls or being down 28-3 or his last pass as a Patriot. We all know that,” the employee wrote on Instagram.
'It's about the father who spent an entire football season volunteering at the animal shelter with his children. The one where he bonded with his kids over naming puppies and bottle-fed kittens.
“The one where he quietly showed up every other week to make a difference for his family and his community.
'The one where two fathers just became fathers and beamed with pride every time their children said: 'Can we please stay a little longer?!' The one in which two little girls built a friendship around their love for little baby kittens and did their part to improve the world for animals.
These photos were from August and we didn't take much after that. At least not publicly. It wasn't about publicity, fundraising or recognition. It was about being human.
“It was about Tom taking the very thing his little girl loves most and turning it into an opportunity to spend time together.”