Multiple reports have sadly come in that actor Anton Yelchin, best known for his role as Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek franchise, has died at age 27. His publicist Jennifer Allen confirmed the news to the media. He was killed in a traffic accident involving his own car.
“It appears he momentarily exited his car and it rolled backward, causing trauma that led to his death,” Jenny Houser, a spokesperson for the LAPD, told the The Hollywood Reporter.
Born in Leningrad in 1989, the young actor began his career at the age of 9 in the indie film A Man is Mostly Water. The world if indies is where he made his start, in films like Alpha Dog and Charlie Barlett, before getting his big break in J.J. Abrams Star Trek in 2009.
Yelchin would go on to appear in Terminator: Salvation as Kyle Reese, opposite Felicity Jones in the romantic drama Like Crazy, and reprise his role as Chekov twice in the Star Trek franchise.
His Star Trek co-star Jon Cho commented, “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.”
Star Trek Beyond is in cinemas in July, with his last performance in a film said to be 2017’s Thoroughbred, directed by Cory Finley.
