Ricky Gervais has shared the sad news that a beloved star of After Life has passed away. He took to social media to announce the death of Anti, who played Brandy, at the age of 13.
He shared an image on X of himself and the German Shepherd on a park bench during the hit Netflix series. One of the iconic benches used during the series has since been installed in Gyllyngdune Gardens, part of the Princess Pavilion complex, in Falmouth.
As reported by the Mirror, Gervais posted on X: “Sad News. ‘Anti’, who played ‘Brandy’ in AfterLife, has died. She was 13 and a very good girl.”
He added a crying face emoji to his post as fans quickly paid their respects to the canine and shared their thoughts on the series. One fan wrote: “It was the most simple yet profound series I’ve ever watched. Watching you in this role, I constantly saw myself. It was a series where I confronted myself and life. You and Brandy were amazing.”
Another commented: “I’m so sorry to hear that. She brought so much joy and love to the show.” A third shared: “I lost my GSD a few years back. Such wonderful dogs,” while a fourth said: “Very sorry to hear it, Ricky. They are family. Condolences.”
In AfterLife, Ricky portrayed Tony, a man grappling with his wife’s death. He played a newspaper columnist who adopts a new persona to push away those trying to help him.
Anti was seen in the touching role of his best friend at home, Brandy, who supports Tony through his grief. In 2022, the dog’s owner, Beth Heale told BBC: “What she is to Tony, is what she is to us in real life.”
She added: “We don’t have children, just like how Lisa and Tony don’t in the show. It sends a poignant message throughout – dogs are there for you when people can’t be and Antilly is always there.”
Antilly also had an Instagram account set up, which announced her passing to its thousands of followers with a touching montage of memories, including moments with Ricky and a photo with the late Paul O’Grady. The caption shared: “Vislor Antilly, After Life’s Brandy, has sadly passed away. We already miss her terribly. Sleep well xxx” .
The role on AfterLife wasn’t Anti’s only taste of fame. At just 10 weeks old, she visited the set of The Dark Knight Rises with her other owner, Ashley Foster, who is a TV and film extra. He was playing one of Bane’s henchmen and both of Antilly’s parents were starring as attack dogs.
Antilly was often typecast as a police dog or guard dog on her time in front of the camera. She also featured in Midsomer Murders, Doc Martin and 2016 film Denial. She also appeared in Trespass Against Us, The Midnight Sky, and The Boys in the Boat.Ricky has often spoke out on animal rights and previously said he relates to all owners by doing ‘anything’ for dogs. He previously opened up on what dogs mean to him by saying: “You know me. I’ll do anything for dogs.
“It was acting but it’s pretty easy to get emotional over a beautiful dog. If the kindest souls were rewarded with the longest lives, dogs would outlive us all.”