Ryan Gosling pays emotional tribute to his beloved dog George

Actor Ryan Gosling has once again melted hearts around the world, after paying the sweetest tribute to his beloved dog George, who passed away at the end of last year.

The La La Land actor, who is known as being one of the most charming stars in Hollywood, had his dog George for nearly 17 years and described him as his 'good friend'.

The pair were almost inseparable, with Ryan taking George with him to every movie set he had ever worked on, and even making an appearance with the pooch on TV back in 2011.

In a sweet tribute to George, Ryan Gosling appeared on late night American TV show SNL last week wearing a T-shirt that had a picture of George proudly across the front.

Then, talking on The Ellen DeGeneres Show recently, the star spoke about the heartbreaking loss of George and talked about the ways he remembers his companion.

Image: The Ellen DeGeneres Show

'He passed away in December and he was a good friend to me,' Ryan told Ellen. 'It's funny to say dog, because — there was something about George where I think he thought being a dog was beneath him. You know? He would not do tricks. If you wanted him to sit down you had to convince him it was in his best interest.'

Ryan also revealed that he wears George's dog tag on a chain around his neck as a way of keeping his friend with him and as a way to remember him.

Image: The Ellen DeGeneres Show

The sweet idea immediately gained praise from fans, who loved Ryan's way of honouring his late pet, with many taking to social media to share their own stories of the difficulty of losing a much loved animal who becomes a member of the family.

'I lost my dog and best friend 26 days ago. I hope I can talk about him the way Ryan talks about George,' wrote one fan on Facebook. 'Those little furry guys are far too pure and far too precious to only be around from a fraction of time.'

When asked by Ellen if he planned to get another dog in the future, Ryan merely responded 'we'll see.'