George Takei leads tributes as original Star Trek actor and "loyal friend" Walter Koenig dies aged 90

Walter Koenig, the actor who played Ensign Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek TV series and multiple movies, has sadly passed away at the age of 90. His family confirmed that he died at home in Los Angeles on Sunday, with his daughter and niece present (via The Hollywood Reporter).

George Takei, his co-star who played Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, led the tributes. On Instagram, he wrote: "My heart is heavy. Walter Koenig, our Ensign Pavel Chekov, passed away early today.

"Walter and I met on the bridge of the Enterprise in the 1960s, and we stayed friends for nearly six decades.

Related: Eric Bauza, voice of Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes favourites, dies aged 46

"When Brad and I married in 2008, Walter stood beside us as our best man. Just last month, on 14 September, he turned 90, on the same day Brad and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. I will always treasure that he and I shared that date.

"Walter was more than Chekov. He was a writer, a teacher, a thoughtful man, and a loyal friend. To the fans who loved him for so many years, thank you. He loved you too. Rest well, my dear friend. Keep navigating a steady course."

Adam Nimoy, the son of Spock actor Leonard Nimoy, also shared a tribute to Koenig.

He wrote: "So sad to hear about the loss of Walter Koenig. Such a nice guy and when we were on the convention circuit together, a pleasure to hang out with."

Related: New Star Trek movie gets first update after long delay - and it may "surprise" fans

In the comments of Takei's post, Pokémon voice actor Veronica Taylor said: "I've been so lucky to know Walter (and you and Brad) for so many years through meeting up at comic cons.

"Walter's twinkling sense of humor and indefatigable spirit are what I will remember and cherish most. He was a true treasure. Sending much love to you and Walter's family."

Zack Stentz, co-writer of Thor, X-Men: First Class and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, referenced some well-known anecdotes about Koenig's casting as Chekov.

"'I'm gonna add a Russian to the crew to depict a peaceful future, and also give him a Monkees haircut to appeal to teenage girls' was the most wonderfully goofy late 60s thing Gene Roddenberry did. R.I.P. and hope heaven has plenty of nuclear wessels", he posted.

J Michael Straczynski, the creator of Babylon 5 – which starred Koenig as Psi Corps officer Alfred Bester – wrote a lengthy tribute. The writer lamented how people thought Koenig was a "one-note" actor when he was "an entire symphony", and said he was glad that the star got to silence his critics through playing Bester.

Due to budgetary reasons, Koenig was the only main Star Trek cast member not to voice their character in the 1970s animated series, although he did write an episode, becoming the first cast member of the franchise to do so.

He also lent his voice to the final episode of Picard season 3, where he played Federation President Anton Chekov. The character was implied to be the son of Pavel Chekov, and was named after the late Anton Yelchin, who played Pavel in the reboot movies.

Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.