Cheyenne Jackson was shattered by the news that his former dog Zora was "riddled with cancer".

The 30 Rock actor and his husband Monte Lapka adopted Zora, who is named after late author Zora Neale Hurston, in 2003 from the ASPCA.

One day Zora stopped eating and appeared incredibly ill.

Cheyenne loved his pet so much and didn't want his beloved animal to experience any pain.

"She was everything to us," Cheyenne told People magazine. "She was New York to us. She was in every dressing room I ever had, she was kind of the supermodel of the dog park, she was really beautiful. She was everything. [She was] riddled with cancer of all kinds."

Cheyenne decided to put Zora to sleep himself surrounded by loved ones at a private party he and his husband hosted at their home.

"We brought all of her friends to the house, and all of her people she loved. It was really beautiful," he recalled.

"It was the hardest thing we've ever gone through. We almost couldn't stand up for two days, it was so devastating."