None of the Bush’s Baked Beans commercials were ever complete without the legendary spokesdog, Duke, a Golden Retriever who had his paws on the secret family recipe. Although Duke’s popularity was no secret, here’s what happened to the original canine actor behind the role of Duke: a loving pup named Sam.

Although Sam retired from Bush's Baked Beans commercial gig years ago, his fans were sad to hear of his death in June 2018. Sam — who lived in Apopka, Florida with his owner, who trains animals to appear in commercials — had to be euthanized after suffering from an aggressive form of cancer.

The baked beans company moved on to using dogs that were less camera-shy than their original spokesdog, which is why Sam had not represented Bush’s brand in years at the time of his death. Although the original actor has left for puppy heaven, the company continues to use Duke as a spokesdog by employing other canine actors.