41-year-old Andrew Koenig was an actor and activist who didn’t even want to hurt trees, but after his body was found in Stanley Park in Vancouver Thursday (Feb. 25) that police” believed to be that of Andrew Koenig.”, his father told the press that his son had taken his own life.
He had been missing since February 14 and had engaged in some really suspicious behavior in January including giving his possessions to friends before heading to Vancouver, Canada. It’s recently been learned that Andrew, who had suffered with depression all his life, and been off his depression medication for a year.
On February 16, the last day there was any known activity of Andrew (including a received text message and bank activity) Andrew’s father received a “despondent” letter from his son, which set off alarms.
Andrew had planned his disappearance for a while. In January he gave his landlord in California 30 days notice of leaving. When he took a flight from L.A. to Vancouver last week, his parents had no idea he was leaving the country. His parents said that he considered Stanley Park, where his body was found, a second home.
Depression is a silent killer. Many people just like actor Andrew Koenig struggle with the devastating symptoms of depression for years before they actually take their own life. Recently, however, Koenig’s behavior was sending big signals about his state of mind. His friend and collaborator Lance Miccio told ABC News that Andrew suddenly refused to work with Miccio after editing many of his projects.
Among Koenig’s accomplishments includes playing the character Boner during 27 episodes of the ’80’s sitcom Growing Pains.
Below is the press conference Koenig’s parents, Judith and Walter gave today. During the conference Walter Koenig addressed those who may be suffering from depression right now, asking them to learn from this devastating experience:
“”If you’re one of these people who feel like you can’t handle it anymore, there are people out there who really care. You might not think so and ultimately it might not be enough, but there are people out there who really really care. So before you make a final decision check it out again and talk to someone.”
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