Paul Gilbert’s guitar-loving cat, Juliette, has passed away

Paul Gilbert’s cat, Juliette, who was a firm favorite in many guitarists’ Instagram feeds, has passed away.

The Mr. Big virtuoso broke the news on Instagram, writing, “She was a wonderful, very funny, and very furry cat. She was certainly a source of joy in my family. Thank you for the many ‘likes’ that you gave to Juliette. She had unexpected health issues and passed away peacefully yesterday.

“I’m in a bit of shock, but certainly keeping so many good memories. Deep breath. Onward!”

In the comments section, guitarists including Wolfgang Van Halen, Mary Spender and Gretchen Menn paid their respects to the feline that had brought light and laughter to many players.

Gilbert’s friend and peer Eric Johnson wrote, “Your family and her were fortunate to have found each other. May God bless you all.”

Juliette was a regular fixture on Gilbert’s Instagram page since its inception in 2016, and featured in countless photos of his guitar rigs.

She was often captured grabbing vintage Ibanez guitars, gazing curiously at pedal settings, or scaling acoustic panels to the ceiling of her owner’s studio.

In 2020, she even made a cameo video appearance in Gilbert’s rundown of his five favorite signature guitars for Reverb.

Juliette was a highlight of our own Instagram feeds here at Guitar World, and we’ve shared a few of our favorite moments below. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the Gilbert family.