Anton Yelchin Dies in Tragic Car Accident at Age 27
I've been a fan of Anton Yelchin ever since I first saw him star alongside Anthony Hopkins in the 2001 big screen adaptation of Hearts in Atlantis. When I saw him in that film I remember saying to myself that this kid was going to be a big star. I loved him in that film, and since then I followed his career pretty closely. Everything he's done since has been top notch work.
Earlier today I learned that Yelchin had died in some kind of freak car accident, and it was a devastating blow. He was only 27 years old! He had an incredible life and career ahead of him and learning of his passing kind of hit me hard. I only met him once on a bus at the Sundance Film Festival, but he was a very nice and gracious individual.
Yelchin was a supremely talented and charismatic actor who starred in numerous projects over the years. On top of Hearts of Atlantis, he starred in Alpha Dog, Charlie Bartlett, Terminator: Salvation, Like Crazy, Fright Night, Odd Thomas, Rudderless, Burying the Ex, Green Room, and he's probably best known for his role as Chekov in the Star Trek films. If you haven't seen any of those films, you really need to! Especially films like Rudderless, Odd Thomas, Like Crazy, and Green Room. He also appeared in several TV shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Practice, NYPD Blue, and Huff. He was most recently attached to star in Guillermo Del Toro's Trollhunters Netflix series.
The details surrounding his death are bizarre as he was found pinned between his own car and his brick mailbox. This is the statement the police have made:
“A fatal traffic collision happened in Studio City. On Sunday, June 19 at 1:10 in the morning, a fatal traffic collision occurred. It was the result of the victim’s own car rolling backwards down his steep driveway, pinning him against a brick mailbox pillar and security fence. The victim was on his way to meet his friends for rehearsal. And when he didn’t show up, his friends went to his house, where they found him deceased by his car. It appeared he had momentarily exited his car leaving it in the driveway.”
The engine of the car was still running when his body was discovered, and the car was in neutral. They also say the driveway was on a fairly steep incline, and it's unclear why he got out of the car.
It just makes my stomach turn and my heart goes out to his family who are asking for privacy at this time. Yelchin will truly be missed. It's so sad that we won't get to see him make any more wonderful films, but his legacy will live on in the body of work that he leaves behind.