Inside the tragic death of The Grinch teen star – including spine-chilling warning in last ever TV appearance

CHRISTMAS is just weeks away and for many, it's time to get cosy and watch their favourite festive films.

But for fans of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the Jim Carrey film has a tragic real life story behind it.

The film was released in 2000 and sees Jim, 61, play the titular green character who despises the celebrations and attempted to sabotage Whoville's holiday plans.

For any scenes looking back at Grinch's life when he was eight, the role was played by Josh Ryan Evans, despite the actor being 18 at the time of filming.

Josh had been diagnosed with achondroplasia - which is a form of dwarfism - and gave him the voice of a small child and a stature of three feet, two inches.

Speaking about his size, Josh said: "My size is an asset to me. People write roles for me. If I was just another blonde-haired, brown-eyed, 18-year-old actor, I'd be left unrecognised. People remember me."

His condition didn't stop him from pursuing his passion for acting, and he entered the world of showbiz at the age of 12.

Before The Grinch, he starred in TV shows including Family Matters, Ally McBeal, but was probably best known for his role as Timmy Lenox in NBC soap, Passions.

Sadly, both Passions and The Grinch were to be his final roles, as he died in August 2000 at the age of just 20.

Josh was having a medical procedure following complications relating to a congenital heart condition when he passed away.

His condition meant he couldn't leave home for long periods of time, with him once explaining: "Watching movies took me away from my own problems and gave me a total escape.

"I knew that if I could do that for just one person - that if I could help one person escape the way the movies helped me - that would be a great way to spend my life."

In an eerie twist, the day Josh died was the same day his character Timmy's death aired on Passions.

The original plan had been for Timmy to continue in the show as an angel, and Josh had recorded his death scene weeks before his real life passing.

However, his tragic death meant soap bosses scrapped the storyline and dedicated Timmy's death episode to their late colleague.