Beatrice, who played the beloved French bulldog Stella on the last seven seasons of “Modern Family,” died earlier this month shortly after the cast shot the series finale, according to TheBlast.
A rep for the Good Dog Animals agency, which represented Beatrice, said the 9-year-old Frenchie was rushed to a veterinary emergency room on March 9 with “fluid around her heart which was compressing down.” She went into cardiac arrest during surgery and was unable to be revived.
Stella was introduced in the second season of the hit ABC sitcom and initially played by a French bulldog named Brigitte; Beatrice took over the role in the fourth season as the increasingly doted-on pet of Ed O’Neill’s family patriarch, Jay Pritchett.
In addition to her work on “Modern Family,” Beatrice also appeared on TV series like “Workaholics” and “The Kominsky Method” as well as commercials for Dunkin’ and Chase Bank.
In a 2017 interview with the blog Bodie on the Road, Beatrice’s co-owner Guin Solomon explained that O’Neill developed a natural rapport 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!’”
The show’s two-part finale, which wrapped production in late February, is scheduled to air on April 8.