TV Show Modern Family's Much-Loved French Bulldog 'Stella' Passes Away After Filming Finale

In rather heartbreaking news for Modern Family fans, the show's French bulldog named Stella suddenly died a few days right after the show wrapped its final episode on Feb. 21.Stella, whose real name was Beatrice, first appeared on show's Season 2 when Jay Pritchett, played by Ed O’Neill, starts to own a dog on the show.?

On the show, Stella was originally played by a different French bulldog named Brigitte until Season 4 and later on, Beatrice was introduced.?

The news was confirmed by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitchell Pritchett on the show after he posted it on Twitter. Sharing a picture from the sets, he wrote, “Rest In Peace sweet Beatrice. We love you so much."?

Beatrice’s real owners Guin and Steve Solomon spoke to Bodie on the Road in 2016 and had confessed that O’Neill was totally “in love” with the dog.??Guin was quoted as saying,

“Ed O’Neill is in love with her! It’s very easy working with him because he brings Beatrice treats like popcorn and always looks out for her. 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!'”?

Stella's owner, Steve Solomon also spoke to PEOPLE magazine and confessed that Stella "worked her butt off" on set for all those years. He said,

"We can’t thank her enough for that. When she was a little puppy she was just as cute as a button. Never thought she would be the star that she was. She ended up proving herself to be a great puppy on that show. Ed O’Neill loved her to death just like the creators and that’s why they put her on the show."

Modern Family star Sofia Vergara had also posted a video from the cast’s last day on set in February.

“What a day!! Saying goodbye to our Modern Family,” she captioned the video.

After entertaining the fans with 11 seasons, Modern Family is inching towards an end with a two-part finale that will air April 8 on Global.?