Son of famous actor found dead in Stanley Park

The body of Growing Pains actor Andrew Koenig, who had been missing since Feb. 14, was found Thursday around noon in a Vancouver park called Stanley Park, police confirmed at an evening news conference. The 41-year-old actor was best known for playing Kirk Cameron’s friend, Richard “Boner” Stabone, on the 1980s ABC sitcom. Koenig was also the son of actor Walter Koenig, who starred as Pavel Chekov on television’s Star Trek: The Original Series. “My son took his own life,” the elder Koenig said Thursday at the emotional press conference. “He was obviously in a lot of pain.” A police spokeswoman said that the department’s investigation will continue and that a cause of death will not be released at the moment. No foul play is suspected.
Before leaving for a trip to visit some friends in Toronto and Vancouver, Koenig, who had a history of depression, moved out of his Venice, Calif., apartment and reportedly sold a number of his possessions in a garage sale. On Feb. 16, Koenig’s parents received a “despondent” note from their son, and the actor missed his scheduled flight back to Los Angeles. Koenig’s parents subsequently reported their son missing on Feb. 18.