Star Trek director JJ Abrams leads tributes to Anton Yelchin

Yelchin, who played Pavel Chekov in Abrams’ 2009 reboot, died following a “traffic collision” in Los Angeles on Sunday.

“Anton, you were brilliant. You were kind. You were funny as hell” Abrams wrote in a note shared on Twitter via his production company, Bad Robot.

“You were supremely talented. And not here nearly long enough”, he continued.

Abrams’ successor, Justin Lin, (who directed the upcoming Star Trek Beyond) expressed his shock at the young actor’s untimely passing.

Bryan Fuller, the man behind the upcoming 2017 Star Trek TV series, shared a simple tribute.

Yelchin’s Star Trek co-stars expressed their grief via social media throughout the night as they came to terms with his passing.

And former Starfleet crew members were among those paying tribute to the young actor too.

Paramount Studios released a statement to Entertainment Weekly, paying tribute to a young man who was “beloved by so many”.

“All of us at Paramount join the world in mourning the untimely passing of Anton Yelchin. As a member of the Star Trek family, he was beloved by so many and he will be missed by all,” representatives for the studio said.

“We share our deepest condolences with his mother, father and family.”

And the Star Trek family also released a special message in Yelchin’s memory.

‘Anton was our little brother. But only by years; he was as wise and clever and intellectually curious as anyone we ever knew”, the team wrote.

“His laugh was preposterous – you couldn’t hear it and not laugh yourself. He was funny, edgy, wild and talented beyond measure. His focus and dedication was admirable, as was his love of family, friends, literature and music.” We loved Anton, at work or at play.

We are all shocked and numb and devastated by the world’s loss of an extraordinary young man. To his family, we send you our love during this impossible time. We will miss Anton forever.”

The tributes didn’t stop there, though. From Tom Hiddleston to Anna Kendrick and Chris Evans, the tributes poured in from Yelchin’s Hollywood peers.

RIP.