‘Legally Blonde’ Chihuahua Moonie Dies, Reese Witherspoon Sad, Not Reprising ‘Cruel Intentions’ Role

Reese Witherspoon’s character in Legally Blonde was known for all sorts of quirks, but one aspect of Witherspoon’s Elle Woods character won hearts everywhere. Elle’s chihuahua took the movie world by storm when he appeared in Legally Blonde as Bruiser, Reese’s ferociously “adorable” pet and sidekick.

TMZ reports that Reese announced the “ruff” news about Legally Blonde’s Bruiser on her Instagram account March 11. The chihuahua, whose real name was Moonie, passed away peacefully at the ripe old doggie age of 18 after a long and productive life among the stars. In chihuahua years, that’s a whopping 126 years in total. Moonie got to live a long and happy life, full of success and good friends like Witherspoon. It’s nice to see that rags-to-riches stories aren’t exclusive to humans.

“With a sad heart, I have to let all the #LegallyBlonde fans know that Bruiser Woods (also known as Moonie) passed away yesterday. He was a sweet little Chihuahua who was very loved. I will never forget all the days we spent together… I’m sure his tail is wagging in the sky. Sending love to his trainer, the wonderful @tailsticks #RIPBruiser.”

According to the Mirror, Bruiser the chihuahua built a “loyal army of fans” after starring with Reese in Legally Blonde as Bruiser, and even got to make some doggy friends in his new Hollywood world. In real life, Moonie was “good pals” with another well-known doggie TV star. Gidget was the chihuahua that starred in Taco Bell commercials for years until her death in 2009.

Moonie’s followers as well as Gidget’s loved that the two chihuahuas liked to hang out together. The two dogs were described as “good friends,” and played together frequently. Here’s hoping Gidget and Moonie’s other doggie friends don’t take their passing too hard. It must have been difficult for Moonie after Gidget passed, and we can only assume Moonie’s little pack will miss the movie star as well. A sad chihuahua is just too much to handle, too cute and too sad.

@Renewablergirl It's pretty cute that Gidget and Moonie hang out!

— Kitten Rescue (@KittenRescue) March 22, 2009

Both the chihuahua pups had pretty special entrances into show business. Gidget was a last-minute replacement for another canine actor who was supposed to have played the leading role in the commercials. She was so popular that the company even had a host of adorable toy mascots made for fans of the dog. Moonie himself was a rescue dog before starring in Legally Blonde as Bruiser, though details in the exact nature of the rescue are hard to come by, as it seems even dogs get a bit of privacy when it comes to past struggles. Some fans were inspired to rescue their own Chihuahuas and name the pups after Legally Blonde characters like Bruiser, or Bruiser’s owner Elle.

Witherspoon’s heartbreaking announcement comes after she made another sad statement, though not anywhere near as sad as Moonie’s death. According to E! Online, Reese told the movie world that she would not be reprising her role in the upcoming reboot of one of Witherspoon’s iconic movies, Cruel Intentions. The Oscar-magnet Witherspoon was known for her portrayal of an impressionable and adorably sweet Annette Hargrove in the original. However, the role has gone to the beautiful Kate Levering, who we expect will do the role justice, even if we miss Witherspoon’s unique and endearing personality on screen.

The Cruel Intentions reboot will follow recent Hollywood trends and take the form of a television series, which will be aired on NBC. The series will be set 15 years after the events of the film, and will feature the conniving Kathryn Merteuil as she struggle with her step-brother Sebastian over who controls the fate of Valmont International.

[Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images]