June 19th, 2016 
Mark Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the new Star Trek movies, has died. He was 27.
According to GameSpot sister site CNET, Yelchin’s publicist confirmed he died in a car accident in Los Angeles today, June 19. He “was killed in a fatal traffic collision early this morning,” the publicist said.
We’re saddened to report the passing of Anton Yelchin, best known as Chekov @StarTrekMovie https://t.co/dgpY0gSuem pic.twitter.com/EXMCAJsKgx
— Star Trek (@StarTrek) June 19, 2016
He played Chekov in the two JJ Abrams-directed Star Trek movies, Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness. Yelchin also played the role for Star Trek: Beyond, which comes out in July.
TMZ reported that Yelchin died in a “freak accident” after he was reportedly pinned by his own car. From TMZ’s report:
“Yelchin’s friends became alarmed because he was supposed to meet them hours earlier for a rehearsal. They went to his San Fernando Valley home at around 1 AM and found him pinned between his car and a brick mailbox, which was attached to a security gate.
“Law enforcement [tell TMZ] the engine was running when his body was discovered, and the car was in neutral. The driveway was on a fairly steep incline. It’s unclear why he got out of the car.”
You can read the full story at TMZ. We will update this story as new details become available.
Posted in 