In Memoriam: Entertainment Industry Celebrity Deaths

[AntiBeeSpray]

4 hours ago, kittykat said:

:-( looks like the 27 club just inducted a new member.  What a shame.  I liked Anton as Chekov.  He was also in a little seen movie Like Crazy that was very good too.

And Prince Be too!  Stop 2016, just stop.

I did too. He was really talented. 

I heard about that yesterday. I liked PM Dawn's song, Set Adrift on Memory Bliss, as a teenager, still love it now.

Enough, 2016!

[SnoGirl]

What a truly awful way to go. I hope mercifully it was quick for him, and not that he was aware while he was pinned between his car and the security wall. And his poor friends who found him, a tramatic experience for everyone involved.

I loved him in everything that he was in, I really thought he was going to go places.

[FormerMod-a1]

Anton Yelchin?  WTF?  Damn!

[Daisy]

2016 is one ruthless year. holy smokes. 

[JBC344]

10 hours ago, Kromm said:

I had to Google who the heck he was. 

I imagine of they make another Star Trek movie they'll recast, although it's also not that far out of line for Chekov to have simply been promoted/transfered off the Enterprise to another ship. Remember this is a character who wasn't even IN all of the original show episodes.

I would imagine those close to the production are reeling over this talented young man's death and probably are not even thinking about the continued fate of his character.

[kili]

Apparently, the vehicle that killed Anton had been recalled in April..."Fiat Chrysler in April recalled more than 1.1 million cars and SUVs worldwide because vehicles may roll away after drivers exit, an issue linked to 41 injuries." The article goes onto say that the company hoped to have a permanent solution to the problem by Q4. What was the temporary solution, had it been applied and did it work?

My mother had a vehicle that was recalled to fix a problem that had caused deaths and she was told by the dealer it would take a couple of months before her car could be updated (waiting for a part that was back-ordered due to the high-demand because of the recall). She was told to just be careful until then.  She was not happy. So, even if they had recalled the car, it doesn't mean the problem had been fixed (or it was the cause of this accident).

[DollEyes]

I can't wait for January 1st, 2017, so 2016 can be dead, too. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

2 hours ago, kili said:

Apparently, the vehicle that killed Anton had been recalled in April..."Fiat Chrysler in April recalled more than 1.1 million cars and SUVs worldwide because vehicles may roll away after drivers exit, an issue linked to 41 injuries." The article goes onto say that the company hoped to have a permanent solution to the problem by Q4. What was the temporary solution, had it been applied and did it work?

I've seen other articles about this.

http://jalopnik.com/did-jeeps-recalled-gear-shifter-contribute-to-the-death-1782255715

And the UK Daily Mail, which I've heard is a rag but it could be reliable about this since other sources are talking about it as well, put out this article:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/jeep-killed-anton-yelchin-freak-8234451

including a brief video about how the Jeep's gear shift works.

I'm still in shock about the whole thing, honestly. I first saw Anton a decade ago in a Criminal Minds episode when he was still a teenager, where he worked with Paget Brewster again. So fucking sad, and apparently preventable.

[Chaos Theory]

16 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

Anton Yelchin?  WTF?  Damn!

It looks like it was some weird crazy accident.   

[rcc]

It sounds to me like he pulled up to the mailbox to check his mail and put his Jeep in Park. Then it moved and caught him between the two. I've done it many times myself. Anyone with a long driveway and the mailbox near the road in my neighborhood does this. But I don't drive a Jeep that disengages from Park. Why didn't Fiat Chrysler recall those vehicles right away? Like any other car manufacturer with recalls they always wait and wait ... Tragic accident and I hope his family looks into this recall.

[Wings]

6 minutes ago, rcc said:

It sounds to me like he pulled up to the mailbox to check his mail and put his Jeep in Park.

The reports say the car was found in neutral.  The video that shows the flaw/confusion in the gearshift design is below.  He may have thought it was in park. 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/jeep-killed-anton-yelchin-freak-8234451

The autopsy was not complete when the article was written so the coroner has not made a statement yet as to whether he died on impact or it took longer.  

People of all ages die everyday.  The way one dies effects me more than the fact someone young died.  The thought that he might not have died instantly is grizzly.  It makes my stomach turn.  

[rcc]

5 minutes ago, wings707 said:

The reports say the car was found in neutral.  The video that shows the flaw/confusion in the gearshift design is below.  He may have thought it was in park. 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/jeep-killed-anton-yelchin-freak-8234451

The autopsy was not complete when the article was written so the coroner has not made a statement yet as to whether he died on impact or it took longer.  

People of all ages die everyday.  The way one dies effects me more than the fact someone young died.  The thought that he might not have died instantly is grizzly.  It makes my stomach turn.  

Okay. That's a different story. If the car was in Neutral then maybe he did think it was in Park.

[Rick Kitchen]

That specific model of Jeep Cherokee was not included in the recall.

[Wings]

26 minutes ago, Rick Kitchen said:

That specific model of Jeep Cherokee was not included in the recall.

 If the driveway appeared level with an imperceptible grade, he might have left it in neutral being in a hurry and thinking it would not roll.  I can see that happening. One article stated the car was in neutral.  

Edited June 20, 2016 by wings707

[Cobalt Stargazer]

2 hours ago, Rick Kitchen said:

That specific model of Jeep Cherokee was not included in the recall.

Actually, CBS reported that the Los Angeles police department said Yelchin drove a 2015 Grand Cherokee, and the LAPD confirmed it, which means the vehicle was included in the recall. The jalopnik article was updated to give more information.

[Wings]

.

Edited June 20, 2016 by wings707

[merylinkid]

This is why I always put my parking break on.   I may leave the radio on, but the parking brake is engaged as soon as I stop the car.  If I forget, I've felt the car shift and it reminds me.   I don't care if the ground LOOKS flat, I always put it on.

Because this is not a good way to go (not that there are really any GOOD ways to die) but this is horrible.   I truly hope that if it did have to happen the weight of the jeep was enough to kill him instantly.

[Chaos Theory]

16 minutes ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

Actually, CBS reported that the Los Angeles police department said Yelchin drove a 2015 Grand Cherokee, and the LAPD confirmed it, which means the vehicle was included in the recall. The jalopnik article was updated to give more information.

Apparently that brand of car has a transmission issue and it is hard to tell what gear it is in.  It is believed at this time that his car was not properly parked when he walked behind it and it rolled crushing him.  The police say it is to early to speculate but they believe his death is a tragic accident.  

Although it has been mentioned that there have been at least 40 similar accidents potentially related to this transmission issue.

[Bastet]

Quote

I truly hope that if it did have to happen the weight of the jeep was enough to kill him instantly.

Yeah, to think of someone trapped there, conscious, while slowly succumbing to their injuries is very sad.  The gate is pretty damaged, and if it's wrought iron it would take a decent amount of force to do that, but we'll see what the coroner's report shows.

I didn't recognize his name or face, so looked him up on IMDb; quite a list of credits for someone not even thirty years old yet. 

[legaleagle53]

1 minute ago, Bastet said:

I didn't recognize his name or face, so looked him up on IMDb; quite a list of credits for someone not even thirty years old yet. 

That's what always makes this kind of tragedy especially sad.  He was so young and already extremely popular with fans, and his career was just beginning to take off.  As with so many other artists who pass on at such young ages, there will always be the question of how far he might have gotten in his career over the course of the next 50-70 years.

[kili]

Quote

If the driveway appeared level with an imperceptible grade, he might have left it in neutral being in a hurry and thinking it would not roll.

There are pictures of the driveway in the news and it looks fairly steep . If you left the car in neutral without the parking break on, it would have rolled immediately. It might have rolled over your foot, but I can't see how you'd have time to get behind it. If the transmission failed or wasn't properly engaged, then it could have happened.

[atomationage]

His parents should be in their 50s.  I hope they sue the car manufacturer.  "Blunt traumatic asphyxia"  sounds awful. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

2 hours ago, atomationage said:

His parents should be in their 50s.  I hope they sue the car manufacturer.  "Blunt traumatic asphyxia"  sounds awful. 

I would think they'd be able to. Once with this kind of thing is an accident. Two is a terrible mistake. But forty? FFS.

[Chaos Theory]

I recognized Anton Yelchin mostly from the new Star Trek movies but he's been in a bunch of movies including a few in post production.  He played a young Kyle Reese in the underappriated Terminator Salvation.   He was the lead in the underrated Charlie Bartlett.   And if you like depressing as fuck movies then watch Rudderless which is great but....depressing as fuck..    

Edited June 21, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[Ms Blue Jay]

Charlie Bartlett is a great movie and Anton was so charming and adorable in it.  Others have recommended "Like Crazy" (2011) strongly - I haven't seen that one.

When just a teenager, he played this magician kid who stayed over at Larry's house in Curb Your Enthusiasm (there are clips on Youtube.)  So funny and talented even then.

Cute, talented, loooooooooads of potential.  I was a fan of his for sure.

Felt so sick yesterday when I heard about this.

Edited June 20, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[atomationage]

Cute scene with Anton and Larry David:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrtkg5qpp68

This one won't embed for some reason.

Edited June 21, 2016 by atomationage

[UYI]

On 6/19/2016 at 2:12 PM, BetterButter said:

'Star Trek' actor Anton Yelchin dies in car crash at age 27

 

I've never even heard of him, but he was my age. So sad. :(

[Actionmage]

I knew of Mr. Yelchin from Star Trek, but I loved him as Odd Thomas ( even if the movie was not the greatest.)

[Wings]

On 6/20/2016 at 3:09 PM, atomationage said:

His parents should be in their 50s.  I hope they sue the car manufacturer.  "Blunt traumatic asphyxia"  sounds awful. 

That is the official cause?  That sounds terrible, goddamn.  

[BW Manilowe]

I read that Anton Yelchin died within a minute. So at least it was quick. Hopefully he didn't suffer in that short a timeframe.

[Wings]

15 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

I read that Anton Yelchin died within a minute. So at least it was quick. Hopefully he didn't suffer in that short a timeframe.

That is a relief, do you have a link?  

[BW Manilowe]

6 minutes ago, wings707 said:

That is a relief, do you have a link?  

Maybe it's not the most "reputable" (like The New York Times kind of "reputable") source, compared to others, but here's 1 of the sources that stated he died "within a minute" (I only read the linked article once... I think it said due to severe head & chest trauma, & discussed the asphyxia that was mentioned upthread). Other sources say "minutes", plural, but that may be splitting hairs. At any rate, I truly hope he didn't know what happened.

http://hollywoodlife.com/2016/06/21/anton-yelchin-died-instantly-jeep-accident-death-star-trek/

[Wings]

1 minute ago, BW Manilowe said:

Maybe it's not the most "reputable" (like The New York Times kind of "reputable") source, compared to others, but here's 1 of the sources that stated he died "within a minute" (I only read the linked article once... I think it said due to severe head & chest trauma, & discussed the asphyxia that was mentioned upthread). Other sources say "minutes", plural, but that may be splitting hairs. At any rate, I truly hope he didn't know what happened.

http://hollywoodlife.com/2016/06/21/anton-yelchin-died-instantly-jeep-accident-death-star-trek/

I wonder how he got head injuries.  Seems odd unless he bent over as the jeep crushed him. 

[merylinkid]

Jeep slams into you, you go back and bang your head.   Ugh, even a minute is too long.   Sit perfectly still for 60 seconds and see how long that is.   Now imagine you are crushed against something and trapped.   Blunt force asphyxia means he was suffocated by being crushed.   Just UGGGGGHHHH.

I hope his parents sue the crap out of the manufacturer.  "Oh just wait until we get around to fixing it."  Nope, this is not like "Your window may not roll down" this is "you may DIE in an accident" type of problem.

[Quof]

I don't understand the encouragement for the parents to sue.  Hear me out.  

He had no financial dependents - no spouse, no kids. His parents have suffered no financial loss because of his death, and no amount of money is going to make them feel better.   On the flip side, any financial payout would probably be paid by the manufacturer's insurance company, and if not, would still not even be large enough to be felt by the manufacturer.   So what is money going to accomplish?    By all means, lobby to have safety regulations changed and enforced, to have the manufacturer charged under any applicable legislation it may have violated....

I'm a lawyer. And in all my years of litigating, I have never seen anyone who felt better by being handed a cheque to make up for their lost loved one.  

[Wings]

1 hour ago, merylinkid said:

 

Jeep slams into you, you go back and bang your head.   Ugh, even a minute is too long.   Sit perfectly still for 60 seconds and see how long that is.   Now imagine you are crushed against something and trapped.   Blunt force asphyxia means he was suffocated by being crushed.   Just UGGGGGHHHH.

 

Thanks, I didn't give the head injury much thought. Clearly his head was slammed against the gate.  I do know how long a minute can be.  Way too long to suffer.  Hopefully he was knocked out. 

[legaleagle53]

4 hours ago, Quof said:

I don't understand the encouragement for the parents to sue.  Hear me out.  

He had no financial dependents - no spouse, no kids. His parents have suffered no financial loss because of his death, and no amount of money is going to make them feel better.   On the flip side, any financial payout would probably be paid by the manufacturer's insurance company, and if not, would still not even be large enough to be felt by the manufacturer.   So what is money going to accomplish?    By all means, lobby to have safety regulations changed and enforced, to have the manufacturer charged under any applicable legislation it may have violated....

I'm a lawyer. And in all my years of litigating, I have never seen anyone who felt better by being handed a cheque to make up for their lost loved one.  

Spoken like a member of the defense bar.  What about their emotional trauma and the loss of his companionship and possible future financial support, to say nothing of holding the manufacturer personally accountable for causing the loss?  And there's also the aspect of punitive damages to consider.

I assisted in personal-injury and wrongful-death cases for ten years (plaintiff's bar).  While it's true that compensatory damages can't really make the plaintiffs whole in a wrongful-death case, they CAN come pretty close.  And I assure you, his parents won't enjoy being in that courtroom any more than the manufacturer will -- plaintiffs in a wrongful-death case will readily tell you that they'd give anything if they DIDN'T have to be there testifying as to their loss!

[Quof]

You're right, I'm a defence lawyer at heart but have litigated both sides, for 25 years.  And I stand by my statement that money doesn't make people feel better, it doesn't even "come pretty close".  My position would be different if this were a spouse or child entitled to financial support, who suffered a tangible, pecuniary loss.  As I said, there are more productive means for the parents to exorcise their grief.  

[kassygreene]

One point of suing a corporation that sells bad products (seriously, look at that flaming gear shift - pops back to center? what kind of idiot signs off on that design?? and if you've just paid tens of thousands of dollars you shouldn't also have to learn an entirely new way of operating the vehicle) is that criminal charges ain't gonna happen, but making a corporation fork over lots of $$$$$$$$s is about the only thing that hits them where it hurts...

[legaleagle53]

It also puts a human face on the tragedy in a way that criminal sanctions alone never will.

Edited June 22, 2016 by legaleagle53

[Cobalt Stargazer]

7 hours ago, Quof said:

I don't understand the encouragement for the parents to sue.  Hear me out.  

He had no financial dependents - no spouse, no kids. His parents have suffered no financial loss because of his death, and no amount of money is going to make them feel better.   On the flip side, any financial payout would probably be paid by the manufacturer's insurance company, and if not, would still not even be large enough to be felt by the manufacturer.   So what is money going to accomplish?    By all means, lobby to have safety regulations changed and enforced, to have the manufacturer charged under any applicable legislation it may have violated....

I'm a lawyer. And in all my years of litigating, I have never seen anyone who felt better by being handed a cheque to make up for their lost loved one.  

I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on television, but I think that Fiat at best has been grossly negligent in allowing this defect in production design to go uncorrected for so long. Yelchin's tragic death is obviously the worst case scenario, but that it's taken this horrible incident to really draw attention to the fact that the question of "is it in park or neutral?' exists points to somebody somewhere having their thumb in their nether orifice. A Jeep Chrysler costs something like sixteen grand new, and that's probably without whatever bonus package you purchase along with it. But I wouldn't buy one even if I had twenty thousand dollars to drop on a new vehicle. I fear dying for stupid reasons too much.

[Wings]

45 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

It also puts a human face on the tragedy in a way that criminal sanctions alone never will.

Yes.  His death put a huge spotlight on the problem and the necessity to fix the recalls immediately. Unfortunate way to have this happen, of course.  It seems to me Chrysler should be suing those specifically responsible for the design and manufacturing. 

[vibeology]

Plus, they have the resources and the media attention to actually fight this battle. Joe Schmo who's Jeep hurt him and caused him to miss six weeks of work probably can't afford this fight, but the Yelchins can and if they win it'll make it much easier for anyone injured to collect a reasonable settlement.

[kili]

Quote

One point of suing a corporation that sells bad products (seriously, look at that flaming gear shift - pops back to center? what kind of idiot signs off on that design?? and if you've just paid tens of thousands of dollars you shouldn't also have to learn an entirely new way of operating the vehicle) is that criminal charges ain't gonna happen, but making a corporation fork over lots of $$$$$$$$s is about the only thing that hits them where it hurts...

It will also serve as an incentive for this company and others not to put out unsafe products. Companies do cost analysis all the time - if they decide the cost is low enough to put people's lives at risk, they will do it (companies are so rarely held criminally libel and even if they are, you can't put a company in jail - so they pay the fine which is typically much lower than what the courts award in cases like this). 

Besides changing the balance sheet calculations, a court case will also provide a mountain of bad press which companies don't want either. An added bonus of that bad press is that people who haven't heard about the recall will hear about it (if you move and don't tell your dealer or you sell the car to a third-party, the owner of the car will likely not get the notice. And few people troll recall notice boards to see if anything they own has been added to the list. We probably should).

This is a case where the parents should sue because Fiat/Chrysler put out a seriously flawed and dangerous design which also is proving to take a long time to fix. Suing them will make them realize that when re-inventing the wheel, it's important to understand the human factors. Maybe they'll spend a few more dollars on that aspect next time and some 27 year old doesn't have to be crushed to death by his own car.

[Rick Kitchen]

Do they have resources?  I know his father was a figure skating coach, but I don't know how much money they might have.  And if he's a father (which I guess he is), the estate would go to the child, not to his parents. Though his parents might be the baby's guardians.

[Wings]

13 minutes ago, Rick Kitchen said:

Do they have resources?  I know his father was a figure skating coach, but I don't know how much money they might have.  And if he's a father (which I guess he is), the estate would go to the child, not to his parents. Though his parents might be the baby's guardians.

Are you talking about Anton?  If so, he has no children or wife and is an only child. 

[Rick Kitchen]

2 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Are you talking about Anton?  If so, he has no children or wife and is an only child. 

I read somewhere that he was a single father.

[Ohwell]

I don't know where that "somewhere" is, but I've yet to see any info that he has a child. 

[Inquisitionist]

In the short run, I hope this incident reminds people to always use their parking brake on a hill.  His driveway was described as "steep."

[Constantinople]

13 hours ago, Quof said:

I don't understand the encouragement for the parents to sue.  Hear me out.  

He had no financial dependents - no spouse, no kids. His parents have suffered no financial loss because of his death, and no amount of money is going to make them feel better.   On the flip side, any financial payout would probably be paid by the manufacturer's insurance company, and if not, would still not even be large enough to be felt by the manufacturer.   So what is money going to accomplish?    By all means, lobby to have safety regulations changed and enforced, to have the manufacturer charged under any applicable legislation it may have violated....

I'm a lawyer. And in all my years of litigating, I have never seen anyone who felt better by being handed a cheque to make up for their lost loved one.  

Using the proceeds from a lawsuit to set-up some kind of acting scholarship named after their son might make them feel a little better, though of course it's not the same as having their son back.