Denise Richards is mourning the death of a loved one. The 41-year-old actress shared the sad news on Tuesday, Jan. 22 that her French bulldog, Hank, has passed away.

"Last night we lost our beloved Hank," she wrote with a picture of the cute pooch. "I will miss him dearly, 13 year old . . . been there for me through it all."

Fans quickly shared their condolences, and Richards tweeted, "Thank you so much for your kind messages about Hank . . . it means a lot to me. You guys are the best . . . so thoughtful and kind."

Richards, mom to daughters Sam, 8, Lola, 7, and Eloise, 19 months, has been a longtime advocate for animals rights. In November 2012, she volunteered at North Shore Animal League American headquarters to help out after Hurricane Sandy devastated the region. "During their visit Denise and her family fell in love with Tara the Labrador Mutt-i-gree puppy and welcomed her into their home!" the shelter posted on their Facebook site with a photo of Richards holding her new puppy, Tara.

The Madea's Witness Protection star recently joked with omg!** that she has "too many dogs to count."

"I have a lot. I converted my garage into a dog bedroom," she revealed. "And it's good for my girls. For my daughter's birthday party, in lieu of gifts, we asked if anyone was interested in donating blankets and dog food and cat litter and my daughter dropped it off at the shelter," Charlie Sheen**'s ex-wife continued. "So, it's nice for them to know and to learn to give back. And they're very nurturing, which is great for the animals."

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Denise Richards Mourns Death of Dog Hank, 13