Andrew Koenig (son of Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov on Star Trek the original series) was found dead in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. The actor had gone missing on Valentine’s Day, and his family and friends had been searching for him. Had been suffering from depression.

Walter Koenig said at a news conference in the park,

“My son took his own life”

“He was obviously in a lot of pain”

“He had stopped taking medication for depression about a year ago”

Koenig asked others who may be considering suicide,

“before you make that final decision, check it out again, and talk to someone.”

“If you’re one of those people who can’t handle it anymore, you know, if you can learn anything from this, there are people out there who really care, You may not think so and ultimately it may not be enough, but there are people who really care.”

Families of those who are troubled should not ignore the warning signs, he said.

“Don’t ignore it, don’t rationalize it,

Koenig was probably best known as Kirk Cameron’s friend, Richard “Boner” Stabone in 25 episodes of “Growing Pains” from 1985 to 1989. Koenig also played The Joker in one of my favorite fan films – Batman: Dead End.

Batman: Dead End

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On behalf of myself and the rest of SciFi Mafia (contributors and readers alike), I would like to extend our sympathies to all of Andrew Koenig’s family and friends.