Viral 'Doge' meme dog Cheems dies during surgery

Balltze, better known as Cheems the viral ‘Doge’ dog, has sadly died during surgery.

The hilarious pooch became a viral internet meme back in 2017, thanks to the adorable Shiba Inu's quizzical look and his apparent love of cheeseburgers, often spelled 'cheemsburgers' in memes.

His internet fame followed in the wake of 17-year-old Shiba Inu Kabosu, who became the face of Dogecoin.

Sadly though, Balltze passed away on Friday morning after undergoing surgery.

In a heartbreaking statement on Instagram, his owner released a statement about the 12-year-old dog’s sudden passing.

During the lengthy post about the beloved pooch, who was also known as Ball Ball, his loved one revealed that he had multiple surgeries in the six months leading up to his death.

Instagram/@balltze

They wrote: “Ball Ball fell asleep on 18/8…..He fell asleep on Friday morning during his last thoracentesis surgery.

“Originally, we wanted to arrange chemotherapy or other possible treatment for him after this operation, but it is too late now."

They continued, recalling Cheems’ rapid rise to fame before telling their 768,000 followers not to be sad.

The statement read: “…don’t be sad, please remember the joy that Balltze brought to the world.

"A Shiba Inu with a round smiling face connecting you and me, he has helped many people during the pandemic and brought a lot of joy to many of you, but now his mission has completed.

“I believe he is running freely in the sky and having a lot of delicious food with his new friends. He will always be inside my heart. I hope he can continue to bring joy to everyone in the online world, that’s my only humble request.”

As fans reacted to the sad news, the dog's owner then thanked medical teams for their support during Cheems ongoing illness.

Instagram/balltze

They also thanked those who’d made memes and followed the Shiba Inu since he first went viral.

The Instagram statement continued: “All of you have been very generous and helpful, and I’m truly grateful to all of you, your love and support to Ball Ball is so unconditional and I found that is the purest love in the world, having Ball Ball in my life is the best thing ever happened.

“Thank you everyone, thank you, Balltze knows how much he was loved by all of you.”

Following the dog’s sudden death, they also revealed that money raised from merchandise for Cheems’ medical treatment will now be used to support animal charities.