Jerry Maren, the last surviving actor to play a munchkin in the original Wizard Of Oz film, has died in California at the age of 98.

The actor's niece, Stacy Michelle Barrington, said he died on May 24 at a San Diego nursing home. The cause of death is unknown, but he reportedly suffered from dementia.

Maren portrayed one of the 124 members of the Munchkin Lollipop Guild in the classic 1939 film.

Sorry, this video has expired Jerry Maren played the green Lollipop Guild munchkin in The Wizard of Oz

He stood out among the others, however, as the "Lollipop Kid" who sang, danced and then handed Judy Garland's Dorothy an oversized lollipop.

Maren would go on to appear in scores of other films, as well as TV shows and commercials, in a career that spanned more than 70 years.

But he said The Wizard of Oz always held a special place in his heart.

Maren places his handprints in cement in the forecourt of the TLC Chinese theatre in Hollywood in 2013. ( Reuters: Mario Anzuoni )

AP