KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Cheems, or its real name Balltze, the Shiba Inu that sparked the dog meme died on Friday during a surgery to remove cancer.

The sad news of the 12-year-old’s passing was shared by its owner via the canine’s social media page.

According to the owner, Cheems did not wake up from his thoracentesis surgery.

Originally, they had wanted to arrange for chemotherapy or other treatments for him after the procedure.

"But it is too late now,” they said, imploring their followers not to be sad but to remember the joy that the dog brought to the world.

The owner will donate money raised for Cheems’ treatment to a local animal charity. The 12-year-old dog inspired countless memes as well as sale of brass pins

The death of Cheems, who lived in Hong Kong, led to an avalanche of tributes from social media users.

Instagram user with the handle @Ro wrote that the pooch kept them entertained and genuinely happy throughout most of the quarantine.

"I never thought I’d be saying I shed a tear for the passing of a dog that I never even met but Cheems truly was special. I’ll miss him a lot but I am glad that he’s at rest now.”