Andrew Koenig found dead

The body of Andrew Koenig was found in a park in Vancouver, Canada today. His father (Star Trek's Walter Koenig, "Chekov"), mother, family, and many friends had been searching for him since he went missing on February 14. He suffered from clinical depression. From the bio published on his father's website:

Andrew performs at The Improv and is the video producer for Never Not Funny, and has had roles in the movies NonSeNse, InAlienable, The Theory of Everything, Batman: Dead End, and on television in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine",. "G.I. Joe", "My Two Dads", "21 Jump Street", "My Sister Sam", and "Adam-12". He's edited over a dozen films and directed, produced, and written many others.

Andrew has been an activist his entire life and most recently has been working on behalf of the people of Burma, and was arrested during the 2008 Rose Bowl parade for protesting American involvement in China's Olympics due to China's support of the Burma military regime.

I did not know him personally, but knew his work, and know friends of his who are in agony at his loss. What a beautiful person he was. My condolences to those he leaves behind.

Update: Koenig's family addressed the press shortly after this announcement was made. "My son took his own life," said Walter Koenig.

Update: Jesse Thorn of The Sound of Young America says,

One small correction, which I think has been misreported elsewhere: Andrew performed improv comedy at the Improv Olympic (aka the IO West), not the Improv (the standup club).

• [biscottidana]

  Incredibly sad. Such a loss.

• [Rusty Idols]

  Aw damn it. My deepest sympathy to his family.

  Worth mentioning that in the semi-pro Batman short film Batman: Dead End, Andrew Koenig played the Joker and it was easily one of the best interpretations of the character. He was better than Heath Ledger’s and almost as good as Mark Hammil’s.

• [Tomas]

  Didn’t want to hear that. I was hoping that he was just out of sight for a while, getting things sorted out.

  Sad news.

  Condolences to all affected.

• [dequeued]

  Depression sucks.
  It sucks when you stop taking your medication, and then you’re afraid to even speak to your good friends because you don’t think that they want to see your face.

  It sucks knowing that no matter what small choices you make through the day, you will regret it.

  I completely understand why he took his own life, at least he isn’t suffering any more.

  • [Brian1970]

    You’re absolutely right, dequeued. And as trite as it sounds to quote a commercial, the Cymbalta ad is spot-on: depression hurts.

    When medication no longer helps and when talk therapy seems pointless, taking yourself out feels like the only option left. The pain and anguish truly does become unbearable and I envy those who simply can’t understand how crippling it can be.

    Condolences to the Koenig family, I hope they can at least find solace in the fact that Andrew’s pain is at an end.

• [Anonymous]

  Life kills the best of us early… and damages the rest.

• [ahmacrom]

  Met the elder Koenig at Fan Expo in T.O in 09. Afterward, my brother and I commented that he looked sad. I remarked, maybe its the expo environment. Now I guess he had more pressing concerns.Peace.

• [Anonymous]

  All this time, I never knew Boner was Chekov’s son.

• [Xopher]

  Once he’d been gone for a few days, I started expecting this. I never say it out loud, though, because…well, I hope it’s obvious.

  It’s a terrible tragedy. I’m sorry he was in such pain when he was alive, and I’m sorry his family is in such pain now.

• [technogeek]

  You folks said it… Sympathy to the survivors — family, friends, fans.

  Depression can be controlled these days, for many… at least to the degree of keeping it from becoming deep enough to become a self-reinforcing cycle. But not everyone responds well to the various drugs, and you have to accept simply reducing the pendulum’s swings rather than preventing them — so you still need the coping skills to get through the bad days, and it helps tremendously to have a few friends who are willing and able to play support network.

  Having said that: Do we know that this was depression per se? There are rare situations in which going out on your own terms really is the best of the bad answers.

• [Anonymous]

  The REST OF YOU POSTING should only sound off to take up space here if you have DONATED to a suicide-prevention charity.

  I just sent 5$! HOW ABOUT YOU??

• [Anonymous]

  The effectiveness of the drugs has been exaggerated in the media, for obvious reasons. (OK, here: To sell more drugs.)

  This sucks but we’re only reading about it because his dad was on Star Trek.

  A friend of mine jumped in front of a train in 1993. That sucked too. I was out of town at the time but I heard it got covered in the media, briefly, since it messed up the morning commute.

• [querent]

  He looks like a beautiful person. Something in the eyes. All effected have my sympathy. I hope he is in a better place.

  It is a strange thing, the way beauty is often pain.

• [unit1421]

  I never met Andrew, but I met Walter at StellarCon 16 in 1992 while working as a “red shirt” (security) volunteer for the convention, and I’m sure he is suffering greatly, and my heart goes out to him. In the age of “Epic Fail” and internet snark, Star Trek fandom has been ripped to shreds, but the greater loss is what the show inspired in people being lost in the knuckle dragging morass of self-loathing geeks desperate to be “cool.” Andrew obviously didn’t wear the ears of ‘Trek fandom, but he walked the walk of Gene Roddenberry’s ideals via his activism.

• [Anonymous]

  I was lucky enough to call Andrew friend. I will miss him
  and my heart goes out to his family. I hope your pain is gone now. We now need to care for those left behind.

• [Jesse Thorn]

  The guys from Never Not Funny are friends of mine, and I knew Andrew a bit through them. He went out of his way to be kind and welcoming to me, and this was horrible, horrible news.

• [Anonymous]

  That is terribly sad. My heart goes out to his family and friends.

• [Ceronomus]

  How absolutely depressing to hear. Does anyone know of a good, Burma related, charity that I could make a donation to in his memory?

  Just such a damned shame.

• [tizroc]

  It is sad when we lose people so young and talented, particularly to this disease. My warmest heartfelt sympathies to the family, friends and those his life touched.

• [nemofazer]

  I got to that point many years ago. After a long bout of clinical depression I suddenly felt really quite calm and relaxed. I thought, right, that’s enough then, and tried (obviously not too successfully) to end it. It was a very uplifting moment, thinking it was finally over. So strange to think about that 17 years later.

  My sister-in-law was successful and the damage to my brother and nieces is awful.

  Its a difficult thing to medicate for. An SSRI saved me and killed her.

  • [GoGo Vicmorrow]

    I had this exact experience about 4 years ago. I get depressed around Feb/March like clockwork. About four years ago it was the worst and after it was over it was the weirdest feeling to come out. Your mind does take you on a ride. You come out of the maelstrom. It’s never been as bad since that year. I couldn’t focus on anything, I remember walking out of movies because my mind would just not stop. About this though.. very sad, I kind of had that feeling when I heard he was depressed, but had hoped for the best. So sorry to hear.

• [chairface]

  I was hoping against hope this drama would have a happy ending. R.I.P. Andrew.

• [asuffield]

  I can’t help thinking that Walter Koenig’s delivery here was as spectacular as ever.

• [Anonymous]

  So sorry to hear of your loss, I have been a fan of star trek since day one, and feel like a part, of an extended family, so when something like this happens its even sadder. My condolences to all of andrews family.

• [Anonymous]

  Please consider making a donation in Andrew’s name to the Smile Train Organization. Last year Jimmy Pardo and the Never Not Funny podcast, of which Andrew was a part of, raised over $16000 to give cleft palate corrective surgeries to children in need.

  http://www.smiletrain.org/

• [Laurel L. Russwurm]

  So sad. My heart goes out to his family; I can think of nothing worse for a parent than losing a child. Losing one to suicide has got to be the worst of all.

  Sometimes drugs work. Sometimes drugs don’t. Some drugs help some of the people some of the time.