It has been announced this evening that the Russian-born actor, Anton Yelchin, has passed away in a tragic accident at the age of 27. The actor is best known by SF fans as Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek universe, but had shown a versatile range and great talent in many roles during his career.
Apparently the actor was found in the early hours of the morning at his home by friends after he missed a rehearsal and didn’t answer his phone. He had exited his car with the engine still running, and it had rolled in neutral down the slope of his driveway, pinning him to a brick post. There is apparently no evidence of foul play.
And so 2016 sees the loss of another talented individual, many people he had worked with expressed shock and regret and his sudden loss. JJ Abrams said it all on Bad Robot’s Twitter feed: “You were brilliant. You were kind. You were funny as hell,” Abrams wrote. “And you weren’t here nearly long enough. Missing you, JJ.” Zachary Quinto paid tribute to his costar on Instagram.
Anton, an only child, is survived by his parents, who have asked for privacy, understandably. All of us here at Geek Pride are saddened by this tragic loss, and our best wishes and sympathy go out to his friends and family at this difficult time.