Grinch child star’s tragic death involved ‘eerie coincidence’ on same day

The film turned 23 years old this year

Featuring among them is always the 2000 classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring Jim Carrey as the mischievous creature.

While the Ron Howard-directed fantasy brings a heap of joy to our screens every year, there's also some tragedy attached to it, and an eerie coincidence to boot.

The tragedy in question involved the late child actor Josh Ryan Evans, who plays a young Grinch in flashback scenes throughout the movie.

Grinch child star’s tragic death involved ‘eerie coincidence’ on same day

Evans, who was 18 at the time of filming the classic kids flick, actually died two months before the movie was released at the age of 20.

The child star, who had been acting since he was 12, tragically passed away while undergoing a medical procedure, due to complications related to a congenital heart condition.

However, his death also involved an eerie coincidence, involving another role he was cast in at the time.

Playing an enchanted doll called Timmy Lenox in NBC soap Passions, the character's death scene was aired on the exact same day.

The episode was taped weeks in advance, with his character originally due to return later in the series.

The character was originally meant to continue to feature in Passions, as an angel from heaven. However, after his tragic death, the scripts were re-written and his last episode was dedicated to his memory.

Evans also appeared in various projects, including Rugrats, Hey Arnold! and Ally McBeal.