Vine founder Kroll dies in New York

The New York Police Department said officers went to Kroll's Manhattan apartment after a woman called, asking them to check on his well-being. The 34-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene early Sunday.

The short-message giant Twitter bought Vine in 2012, shortly after its launch, before disabling uploads in 2016, while HQ Trivia, initially a "blockbuster" on its release in 2017, had recently plunged in ratings, according to the tech news site Recode.

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"It truly is a waste," Kroll's father told The New York Times. "At 34, imagine the things he'd done and the skills he had."

"He worked too many hours and too hard," said Alan Kroll.

The New York Post, quoting sources, said the call had come from Kroll's girlfriend. He was found "face-down in his bedroom."  An envelope "containing white powder" was also recovered.

HQ Trivia late on Sunday said, "It's with deep sadness that we say goodbye."

Rus Yusupov, who co-funded the now-defunct Vine and then Trivia HQ, tweeted that Kroll "made the world and internet a better place. Rest in peace, brother."

The New York magazine Intelligencer reported last December that Kroll was fired from Twitter 18 months into Vine's acquisition "for being a bad manager."

At HQ Trivia, a colleague filed a formal complaint last August against Kroll, its new CEO, but the firm found it "yielded no concerns," reported Recode.

ipj/ng (AP, AFP, dpa)