What happens after your pet, a social media sensation, dies?
When Social Media Stars Pass: Navigating Public Grief as Pet Owners
Goldlaner.com – Millions of viewers followed along for days as Simon, a seven-year-old canine with Jindo heritage, made his way toward his final moments. The beloved internet personality, whom Isabel Klee characterized as her soulmate, departed this life in the same manner she believed he lived—enveloped by devotion and care. Throughout Klee’s journey fostering rescue animals, Simon remained a constant presence at her side. His followers viewed him as a calming, reliable companion for nervous pets who occasionally arrived at their residence.
Following Klee’s announcement of Simon’s passing on July 25, an outpouring of condolences appeared across social platforms for the small dog whose cancer diagnosis had been shared in May. Before their farewell, Simon enjoyed a special breakfast consisting of steak and chocolate, because only the finest things were reserved for their cherished boy. Many followers shared how meaningful Simon and Klee’s story had been for their personal journeys. One individual wrote about feeling inspired to begin fostering themselves, while another noted that animals such as Simon instruct those who nurture them on “how to be a grownup.”
The Intersection of Fame and Loss
Klee had been planned to discuss her experience with CNN for this feature before Simon’s condition deteriorated. She took to social media the following day to reveal that she and her fiancé, Jacob Zerhusen, had chosen to allow their treasured companion to pass. Pet influencers certainly bring considerable happiness to online audiences, yet Klee and Simon’s narrative serves as a poignant reminder that such joy carries boundaries. Even celebrated animals do not enjoy the extended lifespans that their devoted human companions and millions of distant admirers hope they might possess.
Nevertheless, their passing helps unite their community of followers while teaching everyone a deeper understanding of pet sorrow. For the people managing pet influencer profiles, mourning extends beyond private reflection—it becomes a collective experience shared with followers, many of whom never encountered their favorite animal in person yet feel the absence as though it were personal.
Learning to Grieve in Public
Jonathan Graziano, whose geriatric pug Noodle achieved considerable social media prominence before passing in 2022, understood this phenomenon intimately.
It has been the privilege of my life to care for Noodle these past 7 years. The sweetest man there has ever been and will ever be.
“I knew that the people were mourning this dog with me, then my close friends and the people who knew Noodle were able to actually mourn my pet,” Graziano explained. “I was able to separate that.”
Adopted by Graziano at age seven, Noodle rose to prominence in 2021 through a sequence of TikTok videos capturing the pug’s morning decisions. In these clips, Graziano would inquire whether it constituted a “bones or no bones day.” Graziano navigated a comparable emotional path to Klee and Zerhusen when they made the decision to conclude their dog’s suffering.
“That was a wild experience,” Graziano recalled, noting he received “everything he wanted” regarding allowing Noodle to depart peacefully. “It was the combination of having to do the whole end-of-life experience with Noodle, go through that and come to terms with that on my own as just someone who loved him and took care of him.”
Anticipatory Grief and Community Connection
Thomas Shapiro, whose husband Louis shares his life, comprehends precisely what Klee currently experiences. The Shapiros have already traversed this terrain. Their Italian greyhound, Tika the Iggy—whom Vogue labeled a “new fashion It girl”—passed away last year at fourteen years of age. Her devoted following included celebrities such as Drew Barrymore and Celine Dion.
Shapiro recalls when anticipatory grief first emerged, years preceding the actual loss. “When she turned 10, that’s when you’re kind of hit with that reality that your dog is really a senior dog,” he shared. “So I think ever since she was 10, I kind of treated each day very special — because you’re not really guaranteed much time after that milestone.”
The Shapiros endeavored to provide Tika with a gentle transition. Last September, with two young children and another greyhound named Kala now included in their household, they removed Tika from Fashion Week engagements and commercial partnerships so she might simply enjoy her remaining days. Unfortunately, this proved insufficient. An aggressive form of cancer claimed her rapidly.
Shapiro waited three days before informing his followers of Tika’s passing. He now feels that timeframe was inadequate for processing his emotions before presenting them publicly. “I didn’t know how to tell everyone, because I knew I had to — not only is that factually the truth, but part of what makes Tika’s Instagram so great for me is we built such a great community, and people genuinely really care about my dog and me, which is still quite unfathomable to me that people do care,” he reflected. “I knew I owed it to them to tell them.”
Being a pet influencer certainly offers financial rewards. Klee’s fame for her
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