Veteran actor Dharmendra's "wonderful part of our family" Sage, a retriever, passed away on Monday.

The news was shared by the actor's wife and actress-politician Hema Malini on Twitter.

In a series of tweets, she wrote: “Our darling retriever Sage left us this morning. Such a wonderful part of our family, so loving and loved by all. Words cannot express our deep grief."

Hema shared that the pet was very close to her family.

“He was a complete part of our lives, so handsome, playful and always prancing around us. He has gone and it tears us to know we will never see him.

“It's so tough when a pet who has been an important part of your life is suddenly not there any more. We are not able to cope easily with this loss,” she said.

She also shared a photograph of Sage along with their another pet Gipsy.

(Source: IANS)