George Clooney’s potbellied pig Max passes away.

Max, the nearly 300-lb. potbellied pig who lived with George Clooney in the actor’s Hollywood Hills home, has died. He had lived with Clooney for 18 years and had suffered from arthritis and partial blindness.

“He just died, like an hour ago,” PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive, 45, tells USA Today.

“He was as old a pig as the vets had ever seen. I was really surprised, because he’s been a big part of my life,” says Clooney, who even sometimes shared the same bed with his pet.

The actor was out of town promoting his latest film, The Good German, when Max died.

In January 2005 there were premature reports that Max had gone to hog heaven. At the time, Clooney issued a denial.

“It has been a bad year for my pets,” Clooney tells the newspaper. “I had a bulldog that died this year, too. It’s strange how animals become a big part of your family. They really become a big issue with you.”

The pig, in fact, was sometimes featured in interviews with Clooney, who called him “Max, the star.”

As for finding a successor, “No,” Clooney insists. “I think Max covered all my pig needs.”

A downcast George Clooney’s eyes welled up with tears at Monday night’s Hollywood premiere of his latest movie, The Good German, when the subject turned to Max, his 300-lb. pet pot-bellied pig who just died.

Asked how he was doing in light of the loss of his devoted companion, who had lived with PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive for the past 18 years in his Los Angeles home, Clooney, 45, told PEOPLE: “I’m good. I just got home this morning, or this afternoon, so it’s strange not having him sitting on the carpet in the house, but, you know… sad, actually.

Recalling his best memory of Max, who was often featured in interviews with Clooney (who referred to him as “Max, the star”), the two-legged star said, “Oh, there are plenty of them. He got me in a lot of trouble that pig, in general, (and) scared the hell out of a lot of delivery people, too.”

Clooney – who had informed USA Today that there would be no successor because, “I think Max covered all my pig needs” – was also overheard at the premiere as saying something about cremation. . . . .Source: People 1 and 2

Picture Source: Yoille