The Mini-Me spokesman confirmed his death, the circumstances and location of which were not immediately available.
A statement on Troyer’s Facebook page Saturday said he had gone through a “recent time of adversity” and that “depression and suicide are very serious issues.”
The statement said: “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.”
Troyer, who was 2 feet 8 inches, was a versatile actor who was widely recognizable from his various roles. He played the goblin Griphook in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and the ice hockey coach Punch Cherkov in “The Love Guru.”
On April 6, 2017, Troyer wrote on Instagram that he had battled alcohol addiction in the past and that he was voluntarily checking himself into a treatment center. “While it’s not always been an easy fight, I’m willing to continue my fight day by day,” he wrote.
Verne J. Troyer was born on Jan. 1, 1969. Information about survivors was not immediately available.
One of Troyer’s first film roles came as a stunt double for a baby in the film “Baby’s Day Out” (1994). In 2000 he shared an MTV Movie Award for “Best On-Screen Duo” with Mike Myers for his role in “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.” As Mini-Me, he portrayed the protégé of Dr. Evil as played by Myers.
He also appeared in “Men in Black” (1997), “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (2009).
He made headlines in 2008 when he sued celebrity news site TMZ and sought $20 million in damages for a sex tape Troyer said the website stole and posted online. His lawsuit said the tape was for his “own personal, private use.”
Troyer had a YouTube channel with more than half a million subscribers on which he frequently posted comedy skits. In his last video, posted three weeks ago, Troyer was in an armchair and talked about his pet peeves.
“Just because I’m small people think that they can come up to me and tap me on the head,” he said. “I’m not a lap dog.”
Source
The New York Times.
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