The Atlantic

March 15, 2012

Before ‘Luck,’ 9 Famous Animals Who Met Tragic Deaths

HBO’s Luck, a drama about the horse racing circuit, has been cancelled in its first season after several horses were hurt and subsequently euthanized on set. According to a statement released by HBO, the third incident occurred when a horse being led back to its stable after filming “reared up, fell backwards and was injured.” The network has denied accusations made by PETA that conditions were unsafe and has asserted that these types of incidents are common when dealing with horses.

Whether or not that’s true, show business remains a dangerous place for animal actors. While poor working and living conditions the most common causes of animal death, an unfortunate few have met their end through brutal police action, self-asphyxiation, and even pre-meditated acts of murder. Here’s a survey of animal stars who lost their lives in remarkable ways:

Cheeseface: The National Lampoon dog

The unlucky dog known as Cheeseface may represent the only case of deliberate assassination in celebrity animal history. Cheeseface became famous when he appeared on the cover of National Lampoon magazine’s 1973 “Death” issue with a gun to his head. Underneath was the caption, “If you don’t buy this magazine, we’ll kill this dog.” The cover was No. 7 on the American Society of Magazine Editors’ “Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years” list. According to Josh Karp’s National Lampoon biography, A Stupid and Futile Gesture, in 1976 someone tracked down Cheeseface on the farm where he lived and fatally shot him.

Read more. [Image: National Lampoon]