LOS ANGELES - Verne Troyer, the actor best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Power films and one of the shortest men in the world, has died. He was 49.

The news was announced in a post to his official Facebook page.

“It is with great sadness and incredible heavy hearts to write that Verne passed away today,” the statement reads.

“Verne was an extremely caring individual…[he] hoped he made a positive change with the platform he had and worked towards spreading that message everyday.”

The statement also made allusions to depression and suicide, and encouraged people to “be kind” to one another because “you never know what kind of battle someone is going through inside.”

In addition to his credits in “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” and “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” Troyer also acted in the first Harry Potter film as Griphook the goblin. He had more than 25 other film credits to his name, including roles in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “The Love Guru,” and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”

Born January 1, 1969 in Michigan, Troyer was raised in the Amish faith for a time, but his parents eventually left the religion. He graduated from Centreville High School in 1987.

Troyer’s unusual height of 2’8″ was a result of achondroplasia dwarfism. He has stated that his parents “never treated me any different than my other average-sized siblings. I used to have to carry wood, feed the cows and pigs and farm animals.”

The actor had struggled with alcohol abuse in the past, nearly dying from alcohol poisoning in 2002. In 2017, he announced he would be checking into a treatment center in a post to his Facebook page.

Story Date: April 28, 2018