The meme dog that brought smiles to many faces and ignited the creativity of countless netizens passed away on August 18, 2023, as confirmed by an announcement from his owner on social media.
Cheems Balltze, a 12-year-old Shiba Inu, succumbed to cancer after bravely fighting it over the past few months.
Through an official post on his Instagram account, Cheems’ fur parent shared the news: “Ball Ball fell asleep on 18/8. He fell asleep on Friday morning during his last thoracentesis surgery. Originally, we wanted to arrange chemotherapy or other possible treatment for him after this operation, but it is too late now.”
In the midst of their mourning, Cheems’ owner asked his fans not to be sad and remember the joy that Balltze brought to the world.
“A Shiba Inu with a round smiling face connecting you and me, he has helped many people during the pandemic and brought a lot of joy to many of you, but now his mission has completed. I believe he is running freely in the sky and having a lot of delicious food with his new friends,” she said.
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Also known as Ball Ball, this canine from Hong Kong became a viral meme because of his Instagram photo where he poses with a quirky smile.
The photo evolved into the “Swole Doge vs. Cheems” meme, where it features a comparison format in which representatives of the same group from two historical eras are presented.
This meme was widely used during the pandemic because it symbolized the changes that take place between generations and the anxiety that people are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the paradoxes of today’s world.
