'Star Trek' actor Walter Koenig dead at 90

Walter Koenig, who starred in Star Trek as Pavel Chekov, has died at 90 years old. A rep for the late actor announced his death, revealing he passed of old age at his home in North Hollywood over the weekend. His rep went on to remember the actor's kindness to Star Trek fans, telling TMZ, Walter shared his kindness, wit, and appreciation with everyone fortunate enough to meet him. He understood what Star Trek meant to people and embraced the community that grew around it. He went on to say, Thank you, Walter, for the memories, the inspiration, and for boldly going where few have gone before. Koenig had an interesting journey to his acting career. He originally was a pre-med major before transferring to UCLA, where he was encouraged by a professor to try acting. He broke out with a role on Star Trek at the beginning of Season 2 and went on to reprise the role in seven original franchise films. Koenig also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012, where several of his Star Trek co-stars, including George Takei, showed up to celebrate him. Koenig was married to actress Judy Leavitt for 57 years until her death in 2022. The couple had two children together, Danielle and Andrew Koenig. Andrew was an actor on the popular 80s sitcom Growing Pains, but tragically, in addition to his wife's passing, Koenig was pre-deceased by his only son, who died by suicide in 2010.