HQ Trivia & Vine Co-Founder Colin Kroll Dead At 34

Colin Kroll, the CEO and co-founder of the popular HQ Trivia app, has died at the age of 34.

“We learned today of the passing of our friend and founder, Colin Kroll, and it’s with deep sadness that we say goodbye,” the company wrote in a statement. “Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”

We learned today of the passing of our friend and founder, Colin Kroll, and it's with deep sadness that we say goodbye. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.

— HQ Trivia (@hqtrivia) December 16, 2018

NBC News reports Kroll was found unconscious and unresponsive in a bedroom of his Manhattan apartment early in the morning on Sunday, Dec. 16, after police responded to a 911 call for a welfare check. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a New York Police Department spokesman. A drug overdose is the suspected cause of death, police said, but an investigation is underway.

Kroll made a name for himself in the tech world after co-founding Vine, the now-defunct short-from video platform. He then went to develop HQ Trivia with business partner Rus Yusupov. The interactive quiz game became a viral breakout success following its launch in 2017, and Kroll was named the company’s CEO this past September.

So sad to hear about the passing of my friend and co-founder Colin Kroll. My thoughts & prayers go out to his loved ones. I will forever remember him for his kind soul and big heart. He made the world and internet a better place. Rest in peace, brother.

— Rus (@rus) December 16, 2018

Yusupov remembered his friend on Twitter, shortly after the tragic news of his death.

“So sad to hear about the passing of my friend and co-founder Colin Kroll,” he wrote. “My thoughts & prayers go out to his loved ones. I will forever remember him for his kind soul and big heart. He made the world and internet a better place. Rest in peace, brother.”

— Gabi Duncan