Verne Troyer, the actor best known to audiences as the scene-stealing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers franchise, has died at age 49.
Troyer’s family confirmed the actor’s passing in a statement on Verne’s official Facebook page.
“It is with great sadness and incredibly heavy hearts to write that Verne passed away today,” read a post addressing Troyer’s passing. “Verne was an extremely caring individual. He wanted to make everyone smile, be happy, and laugh. Anybody in need, he would help to any extent possible. Verne hoped he made a positive change with the platform he had and worked towards spreading that message everyday.”
The statement also acknowledged Troyer’s substance abuse issues and contained a plea to assist those dealing with mental health battles. It is currently unclear what the cause of Troyer’s death was.
“Depression and Suicide are very serious issues,” read the statement. “You never know what kind of battle someone is going through inside. Be kind to one another. And always know, it’s never too late to reach out to someone for help.”
Troyer etched out a diverse career as a performer and personality while not allowing the struggles of achondroplasia dwarfism define him. Troyer frequently appeared in the comedies of Mike Myers, played an essential role Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and enjoyed an extended run as Napoleon in the action-comedy series You Don’t Know Jack. Audiences also got a better understanding of Verne Troyer as a human being courtesy of his messy personal journey on Vh1’s The Surreal Life.
In lieu of flowers, mourners are encouraged to make a donation in Troyer’s name to his two favorite charities The Starkey Hearing Foundation and Best Buddies.
