Just days after ABC’s Modern Family wrapped production on its 11 season run comes some bad news.
Beatrice, the French bulldog who played Jay Pitchett’s beloved dog Stella, has died.
“Rest in peace, sweet Beatrice,” tweeted Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Jay’s son Mitchell on the series.
“We love you so much,” he concluded his message alongside a photo of himself with husband Justin Mikita and Beatrice on the set of Modern Family.
Stella first showed up on Modern Family Season 2, but was played by a French bulldog named Brigitte.
Rest In Peace sweet Beatrice. We love you so much 😭 https://t.co/kYzkl1m3ye pic.twitter.com/aGZZWH695g
— Jesse Tyler Ferguson (@jessetyler) March 15, 2020
Stella was the dog of a man named Guillermo, played by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was an inventor.
Jay convinced the owner to ditch his invention idea and return to school, with the inventor opting to give the dog to Jay as a result.
Jay was unsure about having a dog initially, but he later warmed to the idea and she became a big part of the family.
Beatrice took over the role during Modern Family Season 4, and was with the series for the rest of its run.
In a 2017 chat with the blog Bodie on the Road, Beatrice’s co-owner Guin Solomon explained that O’Neill developed a close bond with her.
“It’s very easy working with him because he brings Beatrice treats like popcorn and always looks out for her — like we’ll be doing scenes in the backyard by the pool and in between takes he’ll say, ‘Would you please get Beatrice an umbrella, she’s in the sun!’”
Beatrice has also had appearances on Workaholics, The Kominsky Method, as well as in commercials for Chase Bank and Dunkin Donuts.
Modern Family’s end date was announced last year when ABC renewed it for an eleventh and final season.
Modern Family is one of few shows affected by the outbreak of the COVID-19 strain of the Coronavirus.
The series wrapped production in late February, meaning that it filmed all episodes in advance of the outbreak.
ABC previously announced the finale would play out with a two-part episode on April 8.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.