Always in her heart. Zoe Saldana took to Twitter on Monday, June 20, to pay tribute to her Star Trek costar Anton Yelchin after he died at age 27 in a freak car accident.
“Devastated by our friend’s loss,” the Avatar star, 36, wrote. “We are mourning his passing and celebrating the beautiful spirit that he was. #RIPAnton.”
Devastated by our friend’s loss. We are mourning his passing and celebrating the beautiful spirit that he was. #RIPAnton
— Zoe Saldana (@zoesaldana) June 20, 2016
On June 19, the day that Yelchin died, Saldana’s rep told Us Weekly that the actress had just landed in Cuba when she “learned of this tragic news.” “She is beyond devastated, and first and foremost her heart and prayers are with the Yelchin family during this time.”
Yelchin, who played Chekov in the new Star Trek trilogy, was honored by several others who worked with him on the film franchise.
“Anton — you were brilliant. You were kind. You were funny as hell, and supremely talented,” Star Trek director J.J. Abrams wrote in a moving note he posted to Twitter. “And you weren’t here nearly long enough. Missing you …”
Zachary Quinto (a.k.a. Spock) shared a touching Instagram, recalling his friendship with the late actor.
“Our dear friend. our comrade. our anton. one of the most open and intellectually curious people i have ever had the pleasure to know. so enormously talented and generous of heart,” he captioned a snapshot of Yelchin. “wise beyond his years. and gone before his time. all love and strength to his family at this impossible time of grief.”
As Us Weekly previously reported, Yelchin’s accident occurred in L.A.’s Studio City neighborhood at around 1:10 a.m. on Sunday when the actor’s car seemingly rolled down his steep driveway, pressing him against his brick mailbox and security fence.
The Charlie Bartlett star was on his way to meet friends for a rehearsal, but worried them when he didn’t show up. His friends went to his house and found him deceased by his car. According to authorities, it appeared as though he had briefly exited the car, left it in the driveway, and was behind the vehicle when it rolled backward, pinning him.
Along with his role in the Star Trek series, Yelchin was known for acting in movies such as Like Crazy and Charlie Bartlett. He starred alongside Justin Timberlake in 2006’s Alpha Dog.
The third Star Trek film, Star Trek Beyond, is set for release in July.
