The actor Verne Troyer died today at age 49. He’d been battling depression and alcoholism. It’s unclear how he died, but the impression given by a post to Instagram is that suicide is involved.
The really terrible thing here is that’s how he’ll be remembered right now. I actually met Verne a few times, at Starkey Hearing events and other charity events. He was a lot of fun, a real pistol. Nothing– not his size, nothing– stopped him from having a good time. And let’s face it, his performances in the “Austin Powers” movies was iconic. He was beloved even if he didn’t know it all the time.
In the posting, his friends wrote:
“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.”