Anton Yelchin, the 27-year-old star best known for playing Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek franchise, has been killed in a fatal car accident at his home in the San Fernando Valley in California.
He was discovered at 1am on Sunday morning by his friends, who were concerned after he had failed to turn up at an earlier rehearsal. Yelchin was reportedly pinned between his car and a brick mailbox, according to TMZ, who first reported the story.
A spokesperson for the LAPD confirmed the circumstances of Yelchin’s death to The Hollywood Reporter. “It appears he momentarily exited his car and it rolled backward, causing trauma that led to his death.”
His friends and co-workers in the film industry posted tributes on Twitter:
I loved Anton Yelchin so much. He was a true artist – curious, beautiful, courageous. He was a great pal and a great son. I’m in ruins.
— John Cho (@JohnTheCho) June 19, 2016
Fuck. I was lucky enough to call Anton Yelchin my friend for the better part of the last decade. This is so fucking awful.
— Jay Baruchel (@BaruchelNDG) June 19, 2016
Anton Yelchin just died in a car wreck. So damn sad. I met him and his Mom on a plane once. They were very sweet. https://t.co/OtkoO4HisG
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) June 19, 2016
Though best known for his role in the Star Trek films, Yelchin appeared in numerous films – both blockbusters and independent movies. He played opposite Robert Downey Jr in Charlie Bartlett, and took a role under one of his favourite directors Jim Jarmusch in Only Lovers Left Alive.
Yelchin will appear in the upcoming third Star Trek film. He was slated to take a voice role in Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming TV series Trollhunters and sports comedy Baseballissimo.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter.
Photo: Getty Images / Paul Archuleta.
