Tinkerbell, the beloved Chihuahua and small dog purse accessory of Paris Hilton, has died.
The heiress and former reality TV star on Tuesday announced the death of Tinkerbell, at age 14 (72 in dog years), on Facebook and Instagram, the Daily Beast reported.
Hilton adopted the Chihuahua in 2002. At the time, Hilton was reaching the height of her pop culture relevance, setting a new standard for people becoming household names by being rich, silly and self-indulgent (We’re looking at you, Kim Kardashian.)
Hilton wanted a Chihuahua, like her role model, the fictional Elle Woods, the sorority girl-turned-law student played by Reese Witherspoon in the film “Legally Blonde.”
Starring alongside Nicole Richie in the reality TV show “The Simple Life,” Hilton made Tinkerbell a key part of their entourage.
The go often accompanied the two on their adventures, doing whatever two blond, rich, skinny nitwits do to keep themselves busy.
And as the Daily Best pointed out, “It’s also arguable that Tinkerbell — often cradled in Hilton’s arms or sitting in her lap — helped pave the way for the ubiquitous sight of other purse-bound pooches.”
We don’t want to be too hard on Hilton today. After all, it’s sad when any little dog dies. By Hilton’s social media outpouring, we have to assume Tinkerbell enjoyed a good, pampered dog life.
“My heart is broken I am so sad & devested … She was such a special & incredible soul,” Hilton posted using her own unique spelling and grammar choices.
RIP Tinkerbell
Martha Ross provides celebrity commentary for the Bay Area News Group. Follow her at twitter.com/marthajross.
