The tragedy of the young Grinch: Actor who played Jim Carrey's counterpart died aged 20 just two years after the movie in tragic coincidence
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Joshua Ryan Evans won hearts worldwide for his adorable portrayal of the baby Grinch in the 2000 hit film - but the actor tragically passed away just two years after the film's release. Due a rare condition called achondroplasia, which is a form of dwarfism, Joshua appeared younger than his years - and he played the eight-year-old version of Carrey's Grinch while he was in his teens.
![[Joshua died during a medical procedure at a hospital in San Diego on August 5, 2002 (pictured in June 2002 at the Soap Opera Digest Awards)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/15/93458187-14224403-image-m-15_1735053808220.jpg)
Joshua died during a medical procedure at a hospital in San Diego on August 5, 2002 at the age of 20 while undergoing an operation to correct a congenital heart condition. Eerily, on the day Josh died, so did his character Timmy the Living Doll on the episode of soap opera Passion that aired that night, after being taped a month earlier.
![[Due to his achondroplasia, Evans would often play roles of children despite being an adult (pictured at the Grinch premiere in 2000)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/15/93458181-14224403-image-m-17_1735053877047.jpg)
His friend and Passions' co-star Juliet Mills told Soap Opera Digest that despite the tragedy: 'He was a showbiz kid through and through. That's what he loved more than anything — showbiz. 'It was a legendary thing to do [to pass away the same day his character died on air]. It was on the news. He made a big bang when he went.'.
![[Evans was also born with a congenital heart problem and had to undergo three operations as a child - and this would eventually prove fatal. Pictured in 1998]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/15/93458231-14224403-image-m-26_1735054248565.jpg)
Born on January 10, 1982 and residing in Hayward, California, Evans was best known for his role in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a 2000 adaptation of Dr Seuss's 1957 book. Standing at just 3ft 2 (97cm), he had achondroplasia, a rare form of dwarfism that gave him the appearance of a child despite being of adult age.
![[Josh Ryan Evans at the How The Grinch Stole Christmas DVD Launch Party November 20, 2001 - less than a year before his death]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/24/15/93458235-14224403-image-m-27_1735054259704.jpg)
