“American Idol” season 23 contestant Baylee Littrell shared the heartbreaking news that his beloved pup King Willie has died. The singer took to Instagram on August 26 with an emotional post featuring a series of pics of Willie throughout the years.
“My little man💔 I know it was your time to leave us, but none of us are ready for a life without you,” Littrell captioned the post. “You brought us more joy than we had ever felt. I will forever miss your beautiful little eyes that told us all a story.”
Littrell’s sadness over the loss was evident as he listed some sweet things about Willie. “I will miss your love for mom and the way you would cling to her. I will miss the way your tail would wag when I would come home to visit you,” he wrote.
Baylee Littrell Grew Up With Willie by His Side
It’s clear Littrell and Willie were best pals, as the singer went on to write, “I grew up with you. I grew as a person because of your love for our family. To say you will be missed doesn’t even begin to cover it. I love you so much little man. You will always be our favorite boy and we will see you again one day.”
The last photo in the carousel is a black and white pic of the fluffy white pup with the text “King Willie 2013-2025.”
Littrell’s mom Leighanne shared her own grief in the comments, writing, “Bay … this is so sweet 💕our hearts are broken😢 you were an amazing brother to him! Thank you for being so strong these last couple of days.”
She concluded on an uplifting note, writing, “He loved you almost as much as me and that’s a lot! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻”
Littrell also got support from his dad Brian Littrell’s Backstreet Boys bandmate Kevin Richardson who commented with the dove emoji. And Littrell’s “Idol” family was there for him as well, including his fellow top 20 finalist Olivier Bergeron who wrote simply, “Love you my man🙏❤️”
Littrell Is Celebrating a Personal Milestone Amid His Pain
Thankfully, Littrell has a lot to celebrate these days, including the success of his debut single “Hey Jesus.” And things appear to be going well in his personal life too. The singer shared an Instagram story on August 26 announcing his two year anniversary with his girlfriend, Klaudia,
Littrell posted a cute selfie of him and Klaudia in matching robes and included text that read “2 years ❤️” Underneath the photo Littrell wrote, “I love you so much my love.”
