In heartbreaking news, it was reported that young actor Anton Yelchin died Sunday morning in a fatal traffic collision, according to the AP. Yelchin was best known for his role as Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek franchise. He was just 27 years old. TMZ is reporting Yelchin was pinned by his own car, but further details of how Anton Yelchin died are not known as this time. According to the actor's rep, Yelchin was "killed in a fatal traffic collision early this morning. His family requests you respect their privacy at this time."
Update: The LAPD released a statement confirming the details of Yelchin's death, revealing that the actor's car rolled backwards down his driveway, "pinning him against a brick mailbox pillar and security fence."
Yelchin will be seen in Star Trek: Beyond this July, where he reprises the role of Chekov for the third time. He was the only child of two professional figure skaters and he rose to fame in a series of small indie films including the 2007 teen classic Charlie Bartlett. The cult teen classic is about a young boy who copes with bullying by acting as a therapist for his fellow classmates. Charlie Bartlett put Yelchin on Hollywood's radar, and his career took off from there. Yelchin also starred in Like Crazy, The Smurfs movie franchise, Fright Night, and Odd Thomas. He made his onscreen debut in an episode of ER in 2000.
It is Yelchin's role as Chekov for which he will be remembered most fondly. The Star Trek fanbase embraced the actor who first took on the role of a young Chekov in 2009. The role of Chekov was originated by Walter Koenig, and Yelchin embodied the iconic character with ease.
Yelchen had numerous projects in the works before his sudden and tragic death, including Rememory co-starring Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage. There is no word yet on when or if his upcoming projects, including the upcoming TV series Mr. Mercedes, will be released. Yelchin was a bright young star who will be greatly missed. Keep your thoughts with the actor's friends and family as they deal with this difficult time.
