Venice resident Andrew Koenig, son of “Chekov” from Star Trek (and yes, he played “Boner” on Growing Pains) was discovered dead in a Vancouver park Thursday morning, the victim of suicide. Andrew failed to contact friends last week in the B.C. area after visiting, soon going missing. Following worse, a letter arrived at his parents house which struck a grim, depressing tone, fueling concern.
“My son took his own life,” dad Walter Koenig said during a police news conference this evening. “Obviously, he was in a lot of pain.” Andrew’s body was discovered by a group of friends who had organized their own search at noon Thursday in a densely wooded area of Vancouver’s Stanley Park.
Celebrities like Doug Benson, Tracy Gold, Kirk Cameron, and Sarah Silverman are Tweeting grief and wondering how, why, their pal committed a terribly pointless, preventable act. R.I.P. Boner! Head inside for video of Koenig’s parents plus a Vancouver Constable chick doing a press conference.
Walter said that Andrew considered the 1,000-acre landmark a second home. Police said that three search-and-rescue teams searched the area on Tuesday because they knew it was one of his favorite places, but found no trace of him. Now that their son is gone, the actor’s parents hope that others who suffer from depression will be encouraged to seek help. “I have received hundreds of emails from people who said they are depressed and considering the same course of action or showed signs of the same behavior,” Walter, who played Chekov on the original Star Trek, said.
“The only thing I will say is if you are one of these people and feel you can’t handle it anymore, I hope you learn from this. Know that there are people are out there who really care. It may not be enough, but before you make your final decision, check it out again, talk to somebody.”
