'Growing Pains' actor kills himself

ctor Andrew Koenig, who starred in the 198Os television comedy "Growing Pains," has committed suicide.

His body was found in a remote part of a Vancouver park.

"Our son took his own life," Walter Koenig, who portrayed Lieutenant Pavel Chekov in the original "Star Trek" TV series, told reporters at a late afternoon news conference.

His son, Andrew 41, was last seen on Feb 14 when he left the apartment of a friend in Vancouver that he had been visiting.

Walter later received a letter from his son and lodged a missing persons report.

On his father's website, Koenig's parents posted a long description of their son, including the fact that he had been suffering from clinical depression when he disappeared.

Walter Thursday pleaded with people who may be similarly depressed not to ignore the illness and to seek help.

After a week of searching, Walter and Andrew's friends decided to go for a final search of Stanley Park.

At about noon, a friend stumbled on his son's body.

Andrew Koenig portrayed Richard "Boner" Stabone on "Growing Pains," but since then he'd had mostly small roles on TV and in the movies and did some stand-up comedy gigs.

- Sitiemilia , Singapore.