Reba McEntire and her boyfriend, Rex Linn, are grieving the heartbreaking loss of their dog, Riddler.
McEntire took to social media Friday (November 18) to share the news that their dog passed away Wednesday, three weeks after he was diagnosed with lymphoma
“If we’re really lucky, an Angel will place something in our laps that will affect us for a lifetime…and we got really lucky. This particular “Angel delivered” life companion, Riddler (aka Budders, Budski, Squareheaded Bastard), said goodbye to us at 11:20 AM PT on Wednesday,” Reba captioned a series of photos. “Only seven years old, lymphoma took his life less than three weeks after diagnosis. He was a GRAND CHAMPION in the Show Ring, but a grander one in life. He impacted everyone that came across his path. He was a good man to ride the river with, the Best. – Rex & Reba”
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Many of Reba and Rex’s friends extended their sympathies to the pair, including Trisha Yearwood, Reba co-star Melissa Peterman, and fellow Big Sky actor Luke Mitchell.
Riddler was one of a few pets the couple owns. In a 2021 interview, Reba shared the nicknames that she and Linn have for each other, and revealed how the names of their pets have changed to fit in.
“[Rex] is Sugar Tot,” Reba said, adding that her nickname is “Tater Tot.”
“So, we are ‘Tater Tot,’ ‘Sugar Tot,’ we are ‘The Tots!'” joked Reba. “And, now Wriggler, our dog is ‘Wrigler Tot,’ and my horse Gator, he is ‘Gator Tot.’ And, we have two longhorns. They are ‘Rowdy and Patch Tot.'”
Rest in peace, Riddler.