How did Kirk Herbstreit's service dog Ben die? Exploring ESPN host's dog's cause of death

Kirk Herbstreit and his service dog Ben shared a close relationship. Ben was the oldest of four golden retrievers the college football broadcaster owned. Herbstreit announced on Thursday that the beloved golden retriever had died.

How did Kirk Herbstreit's service dog, Ben, die?

According to Kirk Herbstreit, Ben died after battling a prolonged illness caused by cancer. The ESPN host posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

"This is really hard to write, but so many of you have loved and cared about Ben, and I wanted to let you know. We found out today the cancer had spread throughout Ben's organs, and there was nothing left we could do. We had to let him go."

The announcement was followed by an outpouring of condolence messages to Herbstreit and his family.

Ben was a regular on College GameDay

They say, “A dog is a man's best friend," which perfectly applies to Herbstreit and Ben. During the golden retriever's lifetime, it regularly stole the show on national television, especially on College GameDay broadcasts.

There was the time Ben hopped into the broadcast booth, and it warmed the hearts of the people watching it. Ben even bagged the "Chief Happiness Officer" role at the 2024 Rose Bowl Game.

This season has been a trying period for Ben and the Herbstreit family. The golden retriever has battled illness in recent months, and his last public appearance was on Oct. 26 at Kyle Field for the Texas A&M Aggies vs. LSU Tigers matchup.

Last month, Herbstreit shared on his social media accounts that Ben had lost the use of his hind legs due to the cancer spreading. Despite the time and effort spent on getting Ben back to health, it eventually died.

On Saturday, ESPN paid tribute to Ben ahead of the Alabama Crimson Tide versus LSU Tigers game.