Verne Troyer Dead From Unknown Causes, Family Confirms

Verne Troyer, best known for his role as Mini-Me in the Austin Powers film series, has passed away. He was 49.

His family confirmed the death on Instagram, writing, "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."

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT

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 @paulmobleystudio

A post shared by Verne Troyer (@vernetroyer) on Apr 21, 2018 at 12:58pm PDT

In the post, his family also confirmed that he had "struggled," referencing "depression and suicide" as serious issues but not confirming his cause of death. Troyer was an alcoholic who was reportedly hospitalised for alcohol poisoning earlier in April.

Troyer had numerous other credits to his name after his breakthrough roles in Austin Powers. He worked with Mike Myers again on The Love Guru, appeared in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and was on the TV shows Two and a Half Men and Scrubs.

He also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2009, finishing fourth. More recently UK TV viewers have seen him in a series of adverts for online casino bgo.com. He also guested several times on Celebrity Juice.

Austin Powers Star Verne Troyer Is Dead, Family Confirms