Posted: February 19, 2009, 5 a.m. EST
Mickey Rourke’s Chihuahua Loki, whom the actor has called “the love of my life,” died Monday, Feb. 17, at the age of 17.
Rourke’s publicist Paula Woods confirmed the news. In a statement, the actor said, “Loki is deeply missed but with me in spirit. I am very blessed she fell asleep peacefully in my arms.”
Loki was often spotted with Rourke at awards shows and during TV interviews. The actor’s love for his dogs becomes an especially poignant topic on “The Barbara Walters Special,” scheduled to air Oscar night.
“I sort of self-destructed and everything came out about 14 years ago or so ... the wife had left, the career was over, the money was not an ounce,” the actor reveals. “The dogs were there when no one else was there.”
Rourke says his dogs were on his mind when he contemplated suicide during one especially low point.
“I think I hadn’t left the house for four or five months, and I was sitting in the closet, sleeping in the closet for some reason, and I was in a bad place, and I just remember I was thinking, ‘Oh, man, if I do this,’” he tells Walters. “And then I looked at my dog, Lowjack, and he made a sound, like a little almost human sound. I don’t have kids, the dogs became everything to me. The dog was looking at me going, ‘Who’s going to take care of me?’”
The Academy Awards air Feb. 22 on ABC.