Tony Winner Patti LuPone's Touching Tribute to the Bitch That Made Her Cry

When you think of animal-loving stage stars, you undoubtedly think of Broadway Barks co-founder Bernadette Peters, who (in the words of her Follies co-star Jan Maxwell) won a special Tony Award “for liking dogs.” Well, move over, Bernadette! Two-time Tony winner Patti LuPone reveals she’s also a pup-adoring diva in the new book, No Better Friend: Celebrities and the Dogs They Love by Elke Gazzara.

In a touching tribute, LuPone shares the story of Indiana (named for her husband, Matt Johnston’s home state), a yellow Lab that the actress calls, “the glue that held our family together.” LuPone says the pooch served as her son Josh’s “sister” and reveals that she wrote the essay “through tears” as she remembered her pet succumbing to age and illness.

The four-time Broadway.com Audience Choice Award winner also recalls a moment when she was “in distress over some stupid show-business nonsense and having a breakdown in the middle of the night.” The beloved pet provided solace. “I fell to the floor, embraced Indy, and sobbed and sobbed,” LuPone writes. “Indy held her head up and absorbed the weight of my anguish, calming me down.”

No Better Friend features essays by Peters, Kathie Lee Gifford, Mark Ruffalo, Elaine Stritch, Tommy Tune and more. LuPone is busy with American Horror Story, HBO's Girls, People in New Jersey, her latest CD Far Away Places and a full slate of concerts, including Carnegie Hall on November 7.