VERNE TROYER DEAD AT 49
Verne Troyer — best known for playing Mini-Me in the ‘Austin Powers’ comedies, and for being one of the shortest men in the world — has died.
Verne died Saturday, according to a statement from his family. We’d been told he was on some form of life support since being taken to the hospital earlier this month after cops got a report he was drunk and suicidal, and was treated for possible alcohol poisoning.
Verne died Saturday afternoon, according to his social media.
It is with great sadness and incredibly heavy hearts to write that
Verne passed away today.
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.
He inspired people around the world with his drive, determination, and
attitude. On film & television sets, commercial shoots, at comic-con’s
& personal appearances, to his own YouTube videos, he was there to
show everyone what he was capable of doing. Even though his stature
was small and his parents often wondered if he’d be able to reach up
and open doors on his own in his life, he went on to open more doors
for himself and others than anyone could have imagined. He also
touched more peoples hearts than he will ever know.
Verne was also a fighter when it came to his own battles. Over the
years he’s struggled and won, struggled and won, struggled and fought
some more, but unfortunately this time was too much.
During this recent time of adversity he was baptized while surrounded
by his family. The family appreciates that they have this time to
grieve privately.
Depression and Suicide are very serious issues. 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.
In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation in Verne’s
name to either of his two favorite charities; The Starkey Hearing
Foundation and Best Buddies.
Photo by Paul Mobley
TMZ broke the story … Troyer was taken to the hospital last week after cops got a report he was drunk and suicidal, and was treated for possible alcohol poisoning. Verne’s struggled with alcoholism for years and been to rehab many times.
Troyer was born with the genetic disorder known as achondroplasia dwarfism, but said growing up on a farm in Michigan he was never treated differently by his parents than his average-sized siblings.
Verne began his Hollywood career in 1994 as a stunt double for Baby Bink in the film “Baby’s Day Out.” He then landed small roles in “Men in Black” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” … before making it big as Mini-Me in 1999’s “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.”
He continued to land bit roles in comedies and appeared on many popular reality shows over the years … like “Celebrity Juice,” “Celebrity Wife Swap,” and “The Surreal Life.”
Verne was 49.
RIP
