George R R Martin
Reuters

Game of Thrones author George R R Martin caused quite a frenzy online when he announced that Ghost, a wolf from the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, has passed away. Fans immediately assumed it was the four-legged animal that played Ghost in Game of Thrones, and condolence messages soon started pouring in.

But Martin later clarified that the wolf that died was dubbed Ghost and not the one that played the character in Game of Thrones.

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"In loving memory of the real life Ghost from the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary. He passed this week & he will be missed. R.I.P," wrote Martin on Twitter. He soon followed it with another message that read: "Clarification, this was the wolf rescued by Wild Spirit and dubbed Ghost. NOT the wolf who plays Ghost on the show."

Game of Thrones
Jon SnowHBO

Game of Thrones' Ghost is Jon Snow's faithful companion and has been a constant presence on the show since the first season.

Game of Thrones will return to HBO on July 16 with Season 7, and the penultimate season will be fast-paced.

"For a long time we've been talking about 'the wars to come,'" showrunner David Benioff told Entertainment Weekly. "Well, that war is pretty much here. So it's really about trying to find a way to make the storytelling work without feeling like we're rushing it — you still want to give characters their due, and pretty much all the characters that are now left are all important characters. Even the ones who might have started out as relatively minor characters have become significant in their own right."

In India, Game of Thrones will air on Star World.