TODAY's Al Roker is mourning the death of his beloved family dog, Pepper, who died June 10.
“She brought so much to our lives," Al said on the 3rd hour of TODAY on June 12.
"She had really not been feeling well, but we were given this gift. A couple of weeks ago, she had had surgery and they said this is about as good as it’s going to be,” he said, while a montage of pictures of Pepper appeared on the screen.
On Father's Day, the TODAY weatherman took a moment to reflect on the difficult week he's experienced since the passing of his beloved pet.
"I gotta tell you, it's been a rough week," Al said in a June 16 Instagram video while on a walk. "I want to thank everybody for all the thoughts and well wishes about losing Pepper. And I realized it hit me harder than I thought —eating poorly, I wasn't really working out, just had a hard time.
"But it's not what she would have wanted. She was a good girl, a good girl," he added with a big smile.
Al said on TODAY June 12 his family was upstate when he got one final moment of joy with her.
“I started flinging the Frisbee to her and it was like she was back to being a puppy. And she was just like happy and running. She was going full tilt,” he said, as a video played showing Pepper frolicking in the grass with a Frisbee.
“So we got that gift and she was a gift for 12 years. And we've had so many lovely comments from people who have gone through this.”
Al announced June 11 on Instagram that Pepper had died.
"12 years ago, this sweet little girl named Pepper changed our lives. Yesterday, we had to say goodbye," Al wrote along with a series of videos and photos of Pepper over the years.
"While our hearts are heavy, they are also fuller because of all the love she bestowed on everyone who got to meet her."
The TODAY weatherman didn't reveal details about Pepper’s death.
Al's wife, ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts, shared the news of Pepper's passing with her Instagram followers in a heartfelt post alongside images of Pepper with the couple and their kids.
"She arrived on my birthday. Wasn’t even supposed to be ours. The rescue coordinator had promised the perfect pup for us. A beautiful mop looking mutt who would be gentle with kids," she recalled.
The couple's son, Nick, "wasn’t fond of dogs," she remembered. "But this 8 week old little black and white ball of fur brought along for the ride jumped into Nick’s lap and stole the show."
"For 12 years , Pepper continued to do just that. A quiet sweetheart," she continued.
Roberts recalled that months after her arrival, amid the "chaos" of Christmas gift unwrapping, Pepper "pooped" under the family's Christmas tree.
"We eeewwed and screamed and laughed. The unconditional love affair had begun," she wrote.
The "20/20" co-anchor went on to reminisce about the special bond she and Pepper shared.
"Soon, Pepper became my shadow. My girl. Next to me whenever and wherever. Moping when I traveled. Looking for me around every corner. A spark in the occasional darkness. Just content to be near," wrote Roberts.
"How is it that a little spirit can so happily give and ask for nothing in return?" she asked. "Only Loving hugs. Pepper stole the show and stole our hearts and those of so many friends and relatives. Even those who never liked dogs. Pepper was different. The warmest companion anyone could ever ask for. (Apologies, Al).
"Today I woke up to a world without her. A quiet house. Her toys and beds still. Yet, Her warmth still lingering. Our hearts are aching. But wow. What a beautiful gift of memories she gave. We miss you dear Pep!" she added.
Roberts also shared several photos of the family with Pepper in her Instagram story. "She filled our hearts ... and captured many others," she wrote on the pics.
Last month, Al revealed on Instagram that Pepper had undergone a surgery, without disclosing the issue.
“Our little girl, Pepper had emergency surgery but is on the mend. She’s getting great care and is coming home tomorrow. Woof. You can sleep on our bed as much as you want,” he wrote, alongside a series of photos of the dog.
Roberts also shared the news on her Instagram page that same day.
“Gratitude. My heart is bursting with it today. Our littlest girl, Pepper, gave us quite a scare. She has survived an emergency surgery. But thankfully, Our strong girl is recovering. We are grateful for any and all prayers for our sweet doggie who has stolen our hearts for 12 years now,” shecaptioned the post.
Al and his family adopted Pepperfrom a Pennsylvania rescue facility in 2012, and she was a frequent presence on his Instagram page.
She even once sat on his lap while he did the forecast from home during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
"For those of us who have our little therapy dogs, if you will, it makes this a little bit easier," he said while petting Pepper. He said the pooch wanted to lick Hoda Kotb's face, "but she will do it socially distant."
More recently, Al posted a photo of Pepper wearing solar eclipse glasses before the solar eclipse in April. He also joked last year that Pepper had to jockey with his new granddaughter Sky for his affection and attention.
“Pepper still not sure about Sky. Who is this who steals my attention?” he captioned a photo of the two of them.
Drew Weisholtz
Drew Weisholtz is a reporter for TODAY Digital, focusing on pop culture, nostalgia and trending stories. He has seen every episode of “Saved by the Bell” at least 50 times, longs to perfect the crane kick from “The Karate Kid” and performs stand-up comedy, while also cheering on the New York Yankees and New York Giants. A graduate of Rutgers University, he is the married father of two kids who believe he is ridiculous.
Gina Vivinetto
Gina Vivinetto is a writer forTODAY.com.
