UPDATE on Sunday, April 22: A rep for the the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has confirmed to E! News that Verne Troyer's death is under investigation and that an autopsy is pending.

____________________

Verne Troyer has died at the age of 49.

The news was announced via the actor's social media on Saturday. Troyer is most famous for playing Dr. Evil's sidekick, Mini-Me in Austin Powers, Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers in Gold Member.

Along with a photo of the actor, who was born with the genetic disorder known as achondroplasia dwarfism, the statement on his official Instagram read, "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 towards spreading that message everyday."

The actor had openly battled depression and alcoholism. On April 17, 2017, Troyer wrote an Instagram post addressing his alcoholism, "I've battled alcohol addiction in the past and while it's not always been an easy fight, I'm willing to continue my fight day by day."