Lady Gaga Highs & Heartbreak

Inside the roller-coaster private life of the complicated superstar

- Jennie Noonan

In Rome, Italy, Lady Gaga was preparing for her role in the upcoming movie Gucci when she received the grim news from home. Her friend and dog walker Ryan Fischer had been shot, and two of her beloved dogs – Gustav and Koji – had been stolen. At about 9.40 pm on February 24, Fischer had been walking Gaga’s French bulldogs on North Sierra Bonita Avenue in Hollywood when two people confronted him. In a home surveillance video that recorded the attack, one of the men can be heard saying, “Give it up,” before a struggle that leads to Fischer getting shot in the chest.

“Lady Gaga is beside herself about this situation,” a source told Entertainment Tonight as the news broke. “Ryan is not only her dog walker but also her friend. She is horrified that this happened. Her dogs are her babies, and she is completely devastated and sickened by this.”

The star, 34, offered a $645,000 reward for the safe return of her pups and, according to reports, has offered to pay the $126,000 medical bills for Fischer, who at press time is expected to make a full recovery. “Gaga feels horrendous about what happened to Ryan and wants to make sure he is looked after,” a source close to the ‘Poker Face’ singer told UK’s The Mirror. “She absolutely adores him and is forever indebted to him for his bravery.”