Anton Yelchin death: JJ Abrams pays tribute to 'supremely talented' Star Trek actor

'You weren’t here nearly long enough'

Born in Russia to the parents of two figure skaters, Yelchin was a rising star (Getty Images)

JJ Abrams has lead tributes to the late Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin - commending him as “supremely talented” in a handwritten letter.

Yelchin, who is best known for playing the character Chekov in two Star Trek movies, was killed by his own car at his home in Los Angeles.

Police said the 27-year-old actor stepped out of his car on the steep driveway of his home and the car rolled backwards, pinning him against a brick postbox pillar and a security fence. He died shortly afterwards at 1am on Sunday (19 June).

Renowned Star Trek director, Abrams paid homage to Yelchin.

“Anton, you were brilliant,” he wrote. “You were kind. You were funny as hell, and supremely talented. And you weren’t here nearly long enough.”

Yelchin played Russian specialist Pavel Chekov in the 2009 Star Trek reboot, 2013 Star Trek Into Darkness and the forthcoming Star Trek Beyond set to open on 22 July.

In a 2009 interview with The Guardian, Yelchin said, “With Star Trek I wanted to work with JJ Abrams because I think he’s great at the kind of things he does.”

John Cho, who plays Sulu in the current Star Trek series, also paid tribute to Yelchin.

“I loved Anton Yelchin so much,” Cho said. “He was a true artist - curious, beautiful, courageous. He was a great pal and a great son. I’m in ruins.”

Born in Russia to the parents of two figure skaters, Abrams managed to build a career which comprised of both blockbusters and independent films. He was widely viewed as a rising star within the industry.