Seven, the dog who played Daryl Dixon's canine companion on “The Walking Dead,” has died.
AMC confirmed the canine actor’s death Thursday on the show’s Instagram page: “Rest in peace, Seven. Best guy on #TWD,” the post read, with images of the Belgian Malinois. On Rest in peace, Seven.”
AMC representatives did not immediately respond Friday to The Times' request for comment.
Norman Reedus, who played Daryl in the zombie drama, paid tribute to the late pup in a series of photos posted to his Instagram stories and grid.
“I will miss you seven,” he wrote alongside a broken heart emoji. “The best TV sidekick ever.”
The “Boondock Saints” and “Blade II” actor campaigned for his character to have a dog in the television adaptation of the comic series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard. That finally happened in season 9 of the 11-season post-apocalyptic horror drama. Dog, who first appeared in the series in 2018, was the pet of the Reapers' second-in-command, Leah Shaw (Lynn Collins), and was later adopted by Daryl after her disappearance. The dog is later passed on to Daryl's adopted niece, Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming), who promises to take care of him while Daryl sets out to find Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira).
Reedus is excited about working with the canine actor, telling ComicBook.com in 2018 that Seven's different take on a specific scene they were working on together ended up making it “so much better.”
“He'll probably be running the show. It's great! I love it. “He loves me too,” Reedus said at the time.
Commenting on Reedus' tribute to Seven on Instagram, former co-star Collins wrote “Oh nooooooooo” with a crying face emoji.
Other “Walking Dead” stars, including Angel Theory and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, also weighed in.
“Rest in peace Seven,” Theory wrote on Instagram Stories, sharing a February 2022 post of her petting Seven. “You brought all the smiles on and off the set. The most professional fur baby I have ever worked with! We will truly miss you, Bud. We all adore you and thank you for the beautiful memories shared with you #ForeverAGoodBoy.”
Morgan reacted with three heart emojis in response to AMC's tweet announcing Seven's death.
Seven also appeared in the 2017 comedy-thriller “Bitch” and the 2015 family film “Ghost Dog.”
