Zsa Zsa, the world's ugliest dog, has died

Zsa Zsa, the English bulldog who was crowned the World's Ugliest Dog last month, has died.

The 9-year-old dog died in her sleep early Tuesday morning, owner Megan Brainard told TODAY. Zsa Zsa was staying at Brainard's father's house. When he went to check on her in the morning, he found she had died.

Zsa Zsa's body was returned home and the family held a special farewell ceremony.

The nine-year-old Zsa Zsa came from a hardscrabble background, spending five years in a puppy mill in the US state of Missouri and being sold at auction before she attained ugliest dog immortality.

With her floppy tongue, crooked teeth and pink manicure, Zsa Zsa captured the hearts of the judges at the annual contest in Petaluma, California. The dog's hanging tongue came from a pronounced underbite and crooked upper teeth that made it hard to keep its  tongue in its mouth.