'Frasier' Dog, Eddie, Dies at Age 16

Moose the dog, better known as Eddie on the Cheers spin-off sitcom, Frasier, has died at the age of 16. The loveable Jack Russell terrier passed away due to old age at his trainer, Mathilde Halberg's, home in Los Angeles.

The BBC quoted Halberg as saying " He just had an incredible charisma and was a such a free spirit." Moose the dog appeared in a total of 192 of the 265 episodes of Frasier, running from 1993 until the show's end in 2004. Moose's son, Enzo, took over the responsibilities for many of the episodes in the final few seasons. Moose's other children were considered for the role: a daughter, Miko, who would be adopted by one of the show's technicians, and Moosie, who was adopted by Peri Gilpin, who plays Rose on the show.

Moose wasn't limited to acting as Eddie Crane in Frasier. Moose worked on commercials for Rold Gold pretzels, and in 2000, made his movie debut (again, with his son, Enzo), in the film My Dog Skip, alongside Kevin Bacon and Frankie Muniz. However, it was most certainly his role on Frasier as Eddie that landed him fame. As ABC News reports, Kelsey Grammer made sure to recognize Moose when accepting his Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1994. "'Most important, Moose, this is for you,' Grammer added good naturedly.

Moose retired from showbiz when he was 10 years old, and lived out his life in LA. The BBC reports that " According to Ms Halberg, Moose was 16-and-a-half when he died on Thursday. Other sources, however, quote his birthdate as 24 December 1990, which would make him 15 at the time of his demise."

[Additional Sources: BBC, ABC News]