Beloved 'meme dog' Cheems passes away during surgery

The famous meme dog, Cheems aka Pup Balltze, unfortunately passed away during a thoracentesis surgery.

Readers will undoubtedly remember the good boy from a hilarious picture of him that quickly became a viral reaction meme.

The famous dog was known for his love of cheeseburgers, which contributed to his nickname of Cheems. While his popularity exploded during the 2010s, he’s remained a meme icon for several years, with online users still using his pictures for content to this day.

Last Friday, Cheems was receiving his final thoracentesis surgery, which is done to assist in respiratory distress of blockage of airflow, and unfortunately passed away during the procedure.

His official Instagram account addressed his passing, saying: “He fell asleep on Friday morning during his last thoracentesis surgery. Originally, we wanted to arrange chemotherapy or other possible treatment for him after this operation, but it is too late now.

The post went on to say: “Don’t be sad, please remember the joy that Balltze brought to the world. A Shiba Inu with a round smiling face connecting you and me, he has helped many people during the pandemic and brought a lot of joy to many of you, but now his mission has been completed. I believe he is running freely in the sky and having a lot of delicious food with his new friends.

“He will always be inside my heart. I hope he can continue to bring joy to everyone in the online world, that’s my only humble request.”

Fans of the beloved pup poured out their support in the comments, thanking him for all the happy memories and provided their sympathies.

“He is a legend of the internet wold, a meme founder and now, he is immortal.”

“RIP buddy, you brought a lot of people happiness.”

"Trying to hold my tears. Eat lots of treats, play and run free over the rainbow. And thank you and your family for bringing us so much joy. You're our legend forever. Rest in peace,"

Rest in peace Cheems, and thank you for the memories.