Lizzo lost an important member of her family over the holidays. The 35-year-old hitmaker shared that her dog, Pooka, passed away on Christmas Eve at the age of 18 in a series of posts on social media.
“We will always love you, Pooka Diamanté Jefferson,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of her family posing with the late pooch. “4•10•2005 – 12•24•2023 🐾 💎”
The “About Damn Time” singer also posted a carousel of photos of her spending time with the small white dog over the years, as well as a snap of Pooka’s paw print immortalized in clay. “I’m not ok im so heartbroken rip Pooka,” she wrote.
On her TikTok, she added: “Im so heartbroken right now i cant stop crying.”
In addition to hundreds of fans, SZA — Lizzo’s longtime friend and “Special” remix collaborator — sent her condolences in the “Truth Hurts” artist’s Instagram comments. “Wait nooo !! I’m so honored have met you,” the “Kill Bill” musician addressed Pooka.
The Yitty founder was luckily able to squeeze in some holiday cheer in spite of the loss, sharing photos and videos earlier this month on social media of her elaborate Grinch-inspired costume from a festive dress-up day. She may have hinted at her puppy’s possible illness in one of the posts, which she captioned, “This grinch costume is the only thing saving me from depression rn.”
The Houston artist has had a difficult year in general, at least from a legal standpoint. In August, some of her ex-dancers filed a lawsuit against her alleging sexual harassment and toxic work conditions. Weeks later, a former clothing designer who worked on the star’s Special Tour filed a harassment and discrimination lawsuit against her. Lizzo has emphatically disputed all the claims leveraged against her.
