Verne Troyer threatened to take his own life just weeks before his death

At the time, a report surfaced online claiming the 49-year-old actor had been admitted to hospital for almost two weeks for alcoholism, but he later took to his social networking sites to play down his health woes and said he was checking into rehab.

Verne - who has been in rehab at least twice in the past and reportedly almost died from alcohol poisoning in 2002 - said: "I've been hearing from some concerned fans, so I'd like to address a personal situation.

"As you know, 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.

"I've been receiving treatment for the last week and I am voluntarily checking into a treatment center later this week to continue to get the help that I need.

"I want to thank everyone that's reached out with their messages of support, it truly means the world to me. With your support, I got this. (sic)"

Verne's tragic passing was announced on his Facebook account last night (21.04.18) and, although his cause of death wasn't confirmed, the statement suggested that he had been struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts in recent months.

It 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 ...

"... 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.

"During this recent time of adversity he was baptized while surrounded by his family. The family appreciates that they have this time to grieve privately.

"Depression and Suicide are very serious issues. 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."