Sia.Photo: Gary Gershoff/WireImage
Siais expressing gratitude for her fans after they helped her through a difficult time.
Last Thursday on Twitter, the “Unstoppable” singer, 43, announced the death of her pet dog Pantera, who she said “saved her life.”
“RIP pantera marvelous furler. You were my first born furry and you saved my life. You’ll be sorely missed. It was the best sixteen years of my life,” shewrote, sharing a throwback photo of Pantera as a puppy.
“I figured I’d let you know that my greatest fear was pantera dying. I never imagined I would get through it without relapsing or joining him,” shewrote. “The night he died, in the wee hours your messages and old photos helped me through it, sober and alive. You should know that. Thank you.”
A passionate animal activist, Sia — who frequently tells her followers online “I love you, keep going” — has several adopted dogs, including Lick-Lick and Cereal, and the star has even held animaladoption drivesat her concerts while on tour.
“God bless you for finding these photos!” shewroteto one fan who posted a collection of snapshots with Sia and Pantera. Replying to another fan who shared her experience with losing a long-term four-legged family member, Siawrote, “I feel your pain. ❤️”
Sia has always been open about her struggles with addiction, which were exacerbated when she was thrust into fame in 2005.
“When you’re in a different place every day, there’s this kind of madness that sets in. It’s easy to get away with getting high because everybody’s drinking on the road,” she toldThe New York Timesin 2014. “None of my friends thought I was an alcoholic, and neither did I.”
After contemplating suicide in 2010, Sia began a 12-step program, she revealed in a 2013 interview withBillboard.
“I got seriously addicted to Vicodin and oxycodone, and I was always a drinker but I didn’t know I was an alcoholic,” she told the outlet. “I was really unhappy being an artist and I was getting sicker and sicker.”
Since maintaining hersobriety, Sia has released several hit albums, including an original Christmas collection called Everyday Is Christmas, which features the track “Puppies Are Forever.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please contact the SAMHSA substance abuse helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go tosuicidepreventionlifeline.org.
source: people.com
