Richard Ashcroft pays tribute to late dog Betsy and dedicates song to the Jack Russell at The O2, London

30 March 2026, 13:31 | Updated: 30 March 2026, 14:03

Richard Ashcroft Performs At The O2 Arena. London on 28th March. Picture: Jo Hale/Redferns/Getty

By Jenny Mensah

The Bitter Sweet Symphony singer has thanked fans who attended his dates in Liverpool and London, while paying tribute to his beloved Jack Russell.

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Richard Ashcroft has paid tribute to his late dog Betsy.

The former Verve frontman took to Instagram to thank fans for the love at this recent headline shows in Liverpool and London and shared that he'd been going through a "tough" time after losing his Jack Russell after 19 years.

The post, which saw a home video of the pet on one slide and him posing with the beloved dog in another, was captioned: "First of all let me thank the incredible crowds who supported me in Liverpool and London. The warmth and love was palpable. Haven’t had time to thank you yet, it’s been tough over the past few days having lost our Jack Russel Betsy, who’s been in our lives for the past 19 years.

"Love and peace to the best fans in the world. RA xx"

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Ashcroft played at The O2, Arena in London on Saturday (28th March), where he also dedicated the emotive 1997 single The Drugs Don't Work to his "beautiful" four-legged friend.

As reported by NME, the Wigan rocker dedicated the song to “any of you out there who have suffered the loss of a pet," adding: "They are so integral to our families and they give us so much, but the pain is so [hard] when they’ve got to go."

He concluded: “This one is for my beautiful Jack Russell. You’re my family, wherever you are.”

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The gig also saw him dedicate ‘C’mon People (We’re Making It Now)’ to Liam Gallagher - frontman of Oasis, who he supported on their epic Live '25 dates last year.

Ashcroft previously praised Liam's discipline on the reunion tour, telling The Independent: "The beautiful thing about it is, Liam’s discipline is amazing. I don’t think he’s allowing himself to be in any situations where he can go off track or whatnot."

He added of chief songwriter and guitarist Noel's talent: "It really brought home to me, wow, Noel, what a songwriter, undeniable. Liam, wow, what a force, what a power, what a voice, what a dude."

"Noel seems to be in a really good space," he added of the band's chief songwriter. "The whole band seems to be. They’re blown away by it, I reckon, without having had too many massive conversations about it. In life, stories generally don’t [have] this incredible coda."

Speaking to Radio X about his part in the reunion dates, the These People singer revealed how he believed he was the best man for the job due to the history he had with the legendary Britpop band.

"I see it as I've got a very important part to play in this," he told The Chris Moyles Show. "You know, back in the day Oasis supported The Verve and then it flipped around and we supported Oasis at Earls Court, then I as a solo artist have played with Oasis."

He went on: "I said to Noel, 'You know, I think I'm the only person who could go in this slot. Especially for a huge outdoor show, because everyone wants you lot. And unless you're coming with something, unless you've got something to offer, I don't know what's gonna happen'."

Richard Ashcroft's "very important part to play" in the Oasis reunion!

Ashcroft's arena dates continue this week on Tuesday (31st March) with a date at Glasgow OVO Hydro, before he heads to the likes of Leeds, Birmingham and Newcastle.

The Song For The Lovers legend also has plenty of summer dates in the diary, with stints at Neighbourhood Weekender and TRNSMT Festival 2026 in the schedule as well as his own headline outdoor shows at Scarborough Open Air Theatre, London's Alexandra Palace and Cardiff Castle.

Visit richardashcroft.com for his full list of live dates and to buy tickets.