Crypto users react to death of Shiba Inu behind viral memes

Cheems Balltze, the dog behind viral images of a Shiba Inu enjoying cheeseburgers, died in his sleep on Aug. 18 amid a battle with cancer.

The dog, also called “Ball Ball,” was 12 years old at the time of his death. The Shiba Inu breed, in particular, is famous among cryptocurrency users as the basis of cryptocurrencies like Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Dogecoin (DOGE), pushed by retail investors as well as high-profile figures like X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk.

“Don’t be sad, please remember the joy that Balltze brought to the world,” said an Aug. 18 post on Cheems’ Instagram page. “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.”