What Happened to Cheems?
The dog the internet knew as Cheems was named Balltze, and he died on August 18, 2023, at the age of 12. He had been fighting cancer, and he passed during a procedure to drain fluid from his chest. His owner shared the news with his 800,000 followers, writing that he fell into his last sleep and never woke up.
If you only knew him as the round, faintly worried face in a thousand memes, here is the real dog.
The dog behind the meme
Balltze was a Shiba Inu from Kowloon, Hong Kong, born on January 9, 2011. His owner, a fashion designer named Kathy, adopted him at about a year old from a friend who was emigrating. The name came from her brother: Balltze, after the little marble ball inside a bottle of Ramune, the Japanese soda.
Kathy posted photos of him doing ordinary dog things, and one of them, Balltze sitting with a tight, sheepish sort of smile, was destined for greatness. Around 2019 the internet adopted it, named the character Cheems (from a meme about a dog who loves “cheemsburbgers”), and made him one half of the most durable meme formats of the era: the buff Doge versus crying Cheems comparisons, and the endless “bonk” jokes.
Like Kabosu before him, Balltze had no idea he was famous. He was a good-natured dog in a Hong Kong apartment while his face argued about generational decline in fourteen languages.
His final year
Balltze was diagnosed with cancer in 2023, and Kathy documented his treatment openly as fans around the world followed along. In August, during a thoracentesis procedure (draining fluid from his chest to help him breathe), he went under and did not wake up. He was 12.
His owner asked fans not to be sad, writing that he was no longer in pain, and that she hoped he would keep bringing laughter to everyone. Judging by how often his face still shows up, he is holding up his end.
Bonk, eternal
Cheems memes did not slow down after 2023; if anything his passing canonized him. He belongs now to the same strange afterlife as Boo, Kabosu, and Gabe: dogs whose actual lives ended but whose faces became permanent internet architecture. We keep a memorial page for all of them.
Rest easy, Balltze. No more bonks where you are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cheems dead?
Yes. Balltze, the Shiba Inu behind the Cheems memes, died on August 18, 2023 at age 12, during a medical procedure while being treated for cancer.
What was Cheems' real name?
His real name was Balltze, named after the marble ball inside a Ramune soda bottle. He lived in Kowloon, Hong Kong with his owner Kathy.
Are Cheems and Doge the same dog?
No. Doge is Kabosu, a female Shiba Inu from Japan who died in 2024. Cheems was Balltze, a male Shiba Inu from Hong Kong who died in 2023.
How did Cheems become a meme?
A photo of Balltze smiling tightly went viral around 2019 and was named Cheems. The character became famous through “bonk” jokes and the buff Doge versus Cheems comparison memes.