Colin Kroll, co-founder of Vine, HQ Trivia dead at 34

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Colin Kroll, an American technology executive who co-founded Vine and HQ Trivia, was found dead on Sunday morning in New York City on suspicion of drug overdose.

Kroll's girlfriend called the police for a welfare check after she was unable to get in touch with him. Upon arriving at his Manhattan apartment, police found he was unconscious and unresponsive in a bedroom with drug paraphernalia nearby.

As such, a drug overdose is the suspected cause of death, police said, and an investigation is underway.

HQ Trivia confirmed Colin Kroll's death. /Screenshot via Twitter

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

Rus Yusupov, another co-founder of HQ Trivia and Vine, expressed his condolence on Twitter, "I will forever remember him for his kind soul and big heart".

Rus Yusupov, co-founder of HQ Trivia and Vine, expressed his condolence to Colin Kroll. /Screenshot via Twitter

Before co-founding the popular app HQ Trivia, Kroll founded the short-form video application Vine which was acquired by Twitter in 2012 and now it is defunct.

HQ Trivia, launched in August 2017, was a blockbuster, hitting a March milestone of two million concurrent players.

But by November, the number of users plunged from millions to hundreds of thousands, according to tech news site Recode.

Time magazine said Kroll, who was reportedly fired from Twitter over poor management behavior, was facing allegations he had acted inappropriately at HQ Trivia.

(With input from AFP)