The ninth Jesse Stone movies, with Tom Selleck's police chief adopting the golden retriever mix after he is found next to the body of his previous owner. The two developed a fascinatingly dysfunctional relationship, where they showed little affection for one another but were closely bonded anyway. This is what makes the reveal of Reggie's death in Lost in Paradise so moving.

In the opening scenes of the ninth film, Jesse stands by Reggie's grave and states ”It took so long to acknowledge a connection, it there was a bond... Life plays tricks on you." While audiences had previously seen major characters like Viola Davis' Molly exit the Jesse Stone series, the loss of Reggie cut especially deep. As Jesse its, Reggie was his "conscience," and his loss leans heavily over the film.

Reggie's Actor, Joe The Dog, Died In 2013 At Age 11

Reggie's performer was set to return for Lost in Paradise

Reggie was played by Joe the Dog, who became so popular he appeared in other projects like Trailer Park Boys: Don't Legalize It; he even had his own IMDb page. Joe died in 2013 as pre-production began on Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise (via Yahoo!). Feeling it would be a cheat on longtime viewers to recast Joe, Selleck decided to integrate the death of Reggie into the story instead. In fact, Joe's owner had already bought another dog, thinking the production would be looking for a replacement; instead, Selleck gave newcomer Ned the Dog (who plays Steve) his own plotline.

That gave us the idea that Jesse is so consumed with the loss of his roommate and conscience that basically when he sees a picture in a cold case of a dog sitting next to his owner’s body, which is how he found Reggie, that's his reason for picking the case.

Had more Jesse Stones been produced after Lost in Paradise, the series could have explored the new dynamic between Jesse and Steve. Unfortunately, Selleck became too busy with Blue Bloods to work on a new entry, though Blue Bloods ending has led to reports of Jesse Stone 10 potentially happening. It was a lovely mark of respect for what Joe brought to Reggie that Selleck refused to simply recast him when other productions would have simply saved themselves the headache.

Jesse Stone prequel Night age also revealed that Jesse had to have his beloved previous pet Boomer put down shortly after he arrived in Paradise.

Reggie's Death In Jesse Stone: Lost In Paradise Is The Franchise's Most Heartbreaking

Reggie still feels like Jesse Stone's biggest loss

While Jesse adopts Reggie in the first installment Stone Cold, he didn't intend to keep him; in fact, he tried to find Reggie a new home with a local teenager. Instead, they became reluctant roommates, with Reggie becoming the only constant in Stone's life. It felt like the ice between them was starting to thaw in later Jesse Stone movies, so Lost in Paradise's reveal of Reggie's tombstone really stings - both for Selleck's anti-hero and audiences.

There was an unspoken connection between the two, and one that even Jesse was reluctant to it to. In trying to keep a little distance between himself and Reggie, he realized too late the dog truly was his best friend. It's a recurring tragedy for Jesse that he often keeps people he cares about at arm's length to avoid getting hurt - which typically happens regardless.

Even though Jesse Stone has lost people he cared about before, few hit as hard as Reggie's ing.

This haunts him throughout Lost in Paradise, which sets the mood for the noirish story it tells. Even though Jesse Stone has lost people he cared about before - such as Polly Shannon's Abby - few hit as hard as Reggie's ing.

Source: IMDb, Yahoo!