Ryan Gosling Confirms Death of Dog George: ‘He Was an Aging Rockstar’

Astute fans may have noticed a new accessory around Ryan Gosling‘s neck recently: the dog tags of his beloved pup, George. And on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday, Gosling confirmed some sad news: George died in December at the age of 17.

“He was a good friend to me,” Gosling told DeGeneres, a fellow animal lover and mom to three rescue dogs. The Blade Runner 2049 star said his pooch traveled everywhere with him, joining him on the set of nearly every film he’s made.

As he started to age, he looked “like an aging rockstar,” Gosling joked. “He was sort of skinny-fat, had big hair and no teeth, open sores — but still sexy.”

He also shared some funny memories of his furry BFF.

“It’s funny to say ‘dog’ because I feel like there was something about George where he felt like being a dog was beneath him,” Gosling said. “He would not do tricks. If you wanted him to even sit down you had to kind of convince him it was in his best interest.

“One time we were at an outdoor restaurant and he was sort of sitting on the pavement, looking forlorn down the street,” Gosling continued. “Someone got up to go to the restroom, and I guess he’d had enough, and he got up on their seat and sat down at the table like a gentleman and looked around the table, like, ‘Yeah, that’s right.’ ”

With George’s loss still fresh on his mind — and two young daughters at home with partner Eva Mendes — Gosling said now isn’t the right time for a new dog. But never say never: “We’ll see,” he told DeGeneres.