Rapper Missy Elliot Delayed Her Tour To Care For Her Dying Dog

Missy Elliott postponed her tour to tend to her dying puppy. With her first-ever headline concert series, “Out of This World – The Missy Elliott Experience,” the 52-year-old singer is embarking on her first road trip since 2004.

Ciara and Busta Rhymes, two of her friends and collaborators, will also be joining her. She acknowledged that she had had to cancel her performance schedule on multiple occasions in the past, most recently to tend to her cherished dog, Hoodie, who died in November. “I stayed home a lot because I didn’t want to go out on the road, and something happened,” she said in an interview with People magazine.

“He was 17 years old and had a long, fulfilling life. [He was] so pretty and lived a very long time.”

After Hoodie’s death, Ciara encouraged Missy to get back on stage.

She added: “So I said, ‘Okay, now I can leave the house without having to worry about anything.’

“So Ciara and my dog played a big influence in me deciding to go out.”

The ‘Work It’ hitmaker will be accompanied on tour by her other dog, Miss Fendi Dior.

She said: “She’s six years old. So [she’s] got her clothes ready to go out on the road with us. [It’ll] be fun, fun.”

Missy claimed the dog is “excited” to wear matching outfits with her on the road.

She said: “I know people sometimes be like, ‘Why y’all dressing those dogs?’… But she likes clothes.

“She really [does] like clothes. She [sees] me pulling out the outfit [and] she’s running. She knows what that means.”

Missy has been working hard ahead of the tour, which starts on Thursday (04.07.24) evening.

She said: “It’s full days, then I go home, and the work continues. But I feel good. I’m super excited.”

Over the years, the singer has battled depression and the autoimmune ailment Graves’ disease, which may lead to anxiety, exhaustion, and weight loss.

However, she recently disclosed that she is feeling “so much better” these days. “Every day I wake, I’m blessed to be here and in good health,” she said in an interview with People magazine. Now that I feel so much better. What a run that was. A minor discomfort in the leg or knee occurs occasionally, but other than that, I feel good.”