Actor Karl Slover, one of the last surviving cast members of the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, has died. Slover, 93, passed away of cardiopulmonary arrest Tuesday afternoon at a hospital in Dublin, Georgia, according to Laurens County Deputy Coroner Nathan Stanley.
At 4-foot-5, Slover was one of the smallest munchkins in The Wizard of Oz. He is best known for his role as the lead trumpeter of the munchkin band. He also helped welcome Dorothy, played by Judy Garland, to Munchkin City as a townsman and a soldier.
Slover was born in Prakovce, Slovakia in 1918 to a family with no history of dwarfism. His father, who was over 6 feet tall, sold Slover to a traveling midget show after attempts to make him taller failed. Slover eventually traveled to the United States where he performed in carnivals and other midget shows. In addition to The Wizard of Oz, he appeared in several others films like The Terror of Tiny Town, Bringing Up Baby and Block Heads. In his later years Slover made numerous appearances at events honoring The Wizard of Oz. He was one of the munchkins to appear at the 2007 unveiling of a Hollywood Walk of Fame star honoring the munchkins.
Only three munchkin actors survive Slover. They are Jerry Maren, Margaret Williams Pellegrini and Ruth Robinson Duccini.
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