On April 21st, Verne Troyer — who played Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movie series — passed away at the age of 49.
News at the time indicated Troyer suffered from depression and alcoholism. A post on his Instagram page hailed the actor as a “fighter when it came to his own battles”:
“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 toward spreading that message every day. … 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.”
Apparently, Verne had recently found faith:
“During this time of adversity he was baptized while surrounded by his family. … 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.”
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office confirmed Troyer’s cause of death: suicide by alcohol poisoning. “A sequelae of alcohol intoxication in a suicidal manner.”
Troyer began his career in 1994’s Baby’s Day Out, as a 9-month-old’s stunt double. Half a decade later, he made his indelible mark as the small clone of Dr. Evil, would-be-world-dominating nemesis to groovy British spy Austin Powers in Mike Myers’s Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. A starring turn in Austin Powers in Goldmember followed.
In response to the actor’s passing, Myers recalled Verne being “the consummate professional and a beacon of positivity.”
You never know what’s going on with people. The ruling is sad, yet he left the world happiness to find in his wake. Enjoy with me some great moments, courtesy of Verne, in the videos below.
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