Friends and Family Mourn Anton Yelchin at Private Funeral

Star Trek actor was 27 years old

By Francesca Bacardi Jun 27, 2016 10:55 PMTags
Anton YelchinNicolas Guerin/Getty Images

Friends and family were recently able to say their last goodbyes to Anton Yelchin.

E! News can confirm that the actor's funeral service occurred Friday at an undisclosed location. 

The service comes less than a week after the Star Trek star was killed in a car accident at his home in Los Angeles. 

Yelchin was only 27 years old when he suddenly passed away after his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled backwards and pinned him against a brick mailbox and a security fence, a police spokesperson told E! News. The Star Trek actor was supposed to be meeting friends for a rehearsal when he never showed up. Concerned, some went to his house to check on him when they found his body.

photos
The 27 Club
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

The L.A. county coroner confirmed to E! News that Yelchin's death was ruled an accident by blunt traumatic asphyxia from the force of the car against his body.

Tragically, we also learned that Yelchin's car model could have been part of a massive recall for a gear-shifting problem. Some Jeeps experienced an issue where drivers thought that their cars were in park, but really they were only in neutral. "Drivers may inadvertently fail to achieve the park position before exiting," read a note released in May. It still remains unclear the accident was a result of a mechanical issue or whoever parked the car last.

Since Yelchin's tragic passing, a Star Trek Beyond event in Cannes that would have featured Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana was canceled. "His fellow actors are just so devastated," a source told E! News.

read
Look Back at Anton Yelchin's Most Memorable Roles, From Star Trek to Like Crazy
Paramount Pictures

Paramount announced the event cancelation on Tuesday, telling E! News, "All of us are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend Anton Yelchin. Out of respect, we are withdrawing our participation in the previously announced Star Trek Beyond at Cannes Lions this week."

After news of his death broke, Yelchin's co-stars and colleagues turned to social media to pay tribute to him.

Director J.J. Abrams tweeted a handwritten note that read, "Anton–You were brilliant. You were kind. You were funny as hell, and supremely talented. And you weren't here nearly long enough. Missing you..." Similarly, Saldana shared her sympathies via Twitter, writing, "Devastated by our friend's loss. We are mourning his passing and celebrating the beautiful spirit that he was. #RIPAnton."

Zachary Quinto shared a picture of Yelchin on Instagram. "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. wise beyond his years. and gone before his time," he wrote in the caption. "all love and strength to his family at this impossible time of grief."

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Yelchin's family.

photos
Celebrity Deaths: 2016's Fallen Stars