Ripken the Bat Dog, the endlessly eager black Labrador who charmed fans at Durham Bulls and NC State University football games, has unexpectedly died. The Rainbow Bridge braces itself for its most boisterous resident.

Ripken, a beloved black labrador retriever and friend to several Triangle sports teams, has died. Ripken died on New Year's Day after "suffering complications from a serious, undiagnosed medical condition which he sadly could not recover from,

The family that trained Ripken The Bat Dog — best known for fetching bats and football kicking tees during sporting events in North Carolina — says the black Labrador has died. In a Facebook post Friday,

Ripken the bat dog, a staple of the North Carolina sports community, died on New Year's Day. Here's what we know and how he’ll be remembered