Sharon Osbourne’s most famous pooch, Minnie, is battling a life-threatening pneumonia that she may not see through to the end of the week.

Just hours earlier the X Factor judge had been told about the illness and although she was reluctant to leave the animal’s side, Sharon eventually decided to brave the red carpet in support of Kelly, her youngest daughter’s debut in the stage musical, Chicago. Wearing a somber black jacket – perhaps in tribute to her dying pet – the British star gripped onto her husband Ozzy’s arm for moral support. But minutes before the curtains up, it all became too much and she began to sob.

A friend told the Daily Mail:

Of all her dogs, Sharon is undoubtedly closest to Minnie. The pair has a real bond and it was Minnie who sat loyally beside her bed during those terrible months she was fighting her battle against cancer. Sharon felt that after being told Minnie is on her last legs, she should return the favor and stay by Minnie’s side. But of course she couldn’t miss Kelly’s stage debut and in the end, torn though she was, Sharon soldiered on and went to the theater. It was only when she got there and saw Kelly, that the stress and emotion of the past 24 hours overcame her and she burst into tears.

The fluffy dog, which featured heavily in the family’s MTV reality show The Osbournes, is said to be gravely ill and unlikely to survive beyond the end of the week. When Sharon underwent treatment for colon cancer five years ago, Minnie, who has her own psychiatrist and dietitian, was a constant source of support. Fortunately, Kelly’s performance, which received a standing ovation, seemed to bring a smile back to her mother’s face. Kelly, the youngest actress ever to take on the role of prison matron Mama Morton, is at the beginning of a seven-week stint at London’s Cambridge theater.

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