'Star Trek Beyond''s Anton Yelchin Dies in Car Accident
by EG
Anton Yelchin, who played Pavel Chekov in J.J. Abrams' reboot of the Star Trek franchise, died early Sunday morning in a car accident near his home in the San Fernando Valley in California. He was 27 years old.
TMZ reports that Yelchin's friends became concerned when he failed to show up as expected for a rehearsal earlier in the evenings. His friends went to his home around 1am Sunday and found Yelchin pinned between his car and a brick pillar near a security gate. Police do not expect fould play, according to reports, and the assumption is that Yelchin was killed in a freak accident.
Yelchin starred as Chekov in Abrams' 2009 Star Trek reboot, as well as 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness. Yelchin also played the same character in Star Trek Beyond, which is scheduled for release on July 22.
"All of us at Paramount join the world in mourning the untimely passing of Anton Yelchin. As a member of the Star Trek family, he was beloved by so many and he will be missed by all,” the studio's representatives said in a statement.