Wizard of Oz Munchkin dies
2011-11-16 08:21
Dublin - Karl Slover, one of the last surviving actors who played Munchkins in the 1939 classic film, The Wizard of Oz, has died. He was 93.
Deputy Coroner Nathan Stanley says the 1.22m, 12.7cm Slover died of cardiopulmonary arrest and was pronounced dead on Tuesday in a suburban Atlanta hospital.
Author John Fricke says Slover was best known for playing the lead trumpeter in the Munchkins' band but also had roles as a Munchkin townsman and soldier in the film. He says Slover was one of the tiniest male Munchkins in the movie.
Long after retiring, Slover continued to appear at Wizard of Oz festivals around the country.
Fricke says only three remain of the 124 diminutive actors who played Munchkins in the movie.