'Bad Vegan' Sarma Melngailis reveals her beloved dog Leon has DIED - eight years after her celebrity-loved eatery fell into RUIN amid her bizarre quest to give the pup eternal life

Bad Vegan star and disgraced personage cook Sarma Melngailis has revealed that her beloved canine Leon has passed distant - almost a decade aft her edifice empire went down successful flames erstwhile she group retired connected a bizarre ngo to springiness him eternal life.

Sarma, 51, shared nan heartbreaking news via Instagram connected Saturday, revealing that the Pitbull had died successful nan early hours of nan greeting connected July 4.

'It’s happened. Time for this dreaded station astir losing my champion boy,' she wrote, alongside a carousel of images of nan canine. 'He near his glorious furry instrumentality astatine 3 am, greeting of July 4.'

Sarma wrote that he hadn't been 'doing well' successful nan days earlier his passing but that he had 'perked up' aft she cooked immoderate bison for him.

'I didn’t deliberation his clip would beryllium truthful soon, until astir midnight erstwhile I realized it whitethorn beryllium his time,' she continued.

'[It's] harrowing and yet besides painfully beautiful successful a rhythm of life way. But mostly painful. 

'I don’t person words yet for each of it... I person to get utilized to my caller identity. I haven’t wanted to time off my flat because past it’s someway much real. I americium a person, conscionable me… my pup has left.

'Leon, I person nary words for really overmuch I emotion you. It was my grant to beryllium your momma.'

Sarma is champion known for launching nan highly celebrated New York City-based vegan earthy nutrient edifice Pure Food and Wine successful 2004.

But she became embroiled successful contention successful 2016, erstwhile nan restauranteur was arrested for fraud alongside her then-husband Anthony Strangis.

And her pup Leon was astatine nan halfway of nan contention -  pinch Sarma claiming during nan proceedings that she was drawn to Anthony aft he told her he could make Leon unrecorded forever.

In an essay posted to her blog, Sarma expanded connected nan Pitbull's last hours, and she explained that he had started 'throwing up a lot' successful caller weeks.

'He'd been throwing up a batch but mostly I'd learned that keeping his h2o to a mini magnitude astatine a clip and what nutrient he'd eat besides to mini amounts, he'd beryllium OK and person plentifulness of barf-free days. But yesterday he was barfy,' she wrote of his past day. 

'He didn't look to beryllium successful superior pain, but who knows. Throughout nan time he seemed mostly uncomfortable; he didn't want to spell retired for his midday locomotion and laid down successful nan lobby.

'Then he perked up, tail wagging, erstwhile nan neighbor's puppy came by. But erstwhile he besides didn't want to spell for his past nighttime travel outside, it felt much serious.

'Overall, it conscionable seemed for illustration a unsmooth time for him but I still thought he'd beryllium each right. He was much spaced retired than usual, much disoriented. 

'At bedtime he seemed yet comfortable and settled successful but soon aft I laic down I heard him throwing up again, aft he'd already done truthful earlier bed. 

'He seemed much distressed than usual. After cleaning up I sorted myself to laic adjacent to him, half connected his bed, arsenic adjacent to him arsenic I acold get. 

'His caput was resting connected a pillow but he wasn't closing his eyes, staring consecutive up astatine nan wall.'

Sarma explained that Leon looked astatine her 'in a measurement he ne'er had' before, for illustration he was 'astonished by something.'

'The measurement he looked astatine me... it wasn't nan accustomed calm serene canine eyes, aliases pleading eyes erstwhile there's nutrient around, aliases immoderate eyes I'd seen from him (or anyone) before,' she continued. 'It was for illustration he was communicating to my psyche pinch urgency, aliases something.'

She said she laid pinch him until she yet dozed disconnected but 'woke suddenly' erstwhile he started 'gasping for air.' 

'I knew I was witnessing his death. I didn't consciousness he was successful symptom truthful much, but alternatively a benignant of hopeless breathing... I urgently repeated my "I emotion yous" done sobs and yet he arched his caput backmost and took a last gasp and past released and relaxed and I knew he'd left,' she shared.

She said that while nan condolences is 'immense,' she feels 'honored to strengthen it for nan privilege of having been his human.'

'I'm eternally grateful that I was pinch him, awake and adjacent to him to witnesser and spell done nan acquisition pinch him,' she added. 

'There was nary euthanasia, this happened people successful nan mediate of nan night, but I had a consciousness it was coming soon and past it did, swiftly, sooner than I thought.'

Sarma was branded arsenic nan 'Queen of vegan cuisine' aft she launched nan upscale vegan edifice Pure Food & Wine successful 2004, and it quickly became a personage hotspot.

It was beloved by stars like Chelsea Clinton, Tom Brady, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin, Owen Wilson, and Woody Harrelson - but successful 2015, nan edifice guru's empire came crashing down erstwhile she abruptly vanished pinch $2 million, leaving unit unpaid and investors retired of pocket.

The edifice unopen down successful July of that year, and she and her then-husband Anthony, 44, were later arrested.

She plead blameworthy to various fraud charges and was sentenced to 4 months down bars. 

As for Anthony, who she divided successful 2018, he served 1 twelvemonth and was released successful 2017. 

Sarma claimed during nan proceedings that Anthony conned her into funneling her restaurant's costs to him by promising to make her beloved canine immortal. 

She said he told her that her that Leon had been his canine successful a erstwhile life and nan 3 of them had each been surviving together for a 1000 years.

Her communicative was retold successful Netflix's 2022 docuseries Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.