VANCOUVER - Missing American actor Andrew Koenig was found dead in a remote area of Stanley Park on Thursday following a search by family and friends.
After a sweep of the park by search and rescue teams for the depressed Growing Pains actor had turned up nothing, Koenig_s parents and eight others returned to the scene on Thursday morning.
Two hours later, the group stumbled upon the 41-year-old's body about 40 metres off a heavily forested walking trail.
"My son took his own life," said Walter Koenig, who flew in from his home in California to search for Andrew and publicly appeal for help.
Koenig and his wife Judith were visibly devastated when they addressed media at the park later in the day, but had a message to others who may be suffering from depression.
"The one thing I want to say ... If you are one of those people and you can't handle it anymore, if you can learn anything from this, it's that there are a lot of people who care," Koenig said. "You may not think so and it may not ultimately be enough. But there are people who really, really care. Before you make that final decision, check it out again and talk to somebody."
On Wednesday, the family told media Koenig had been battling depression throughout his life but had always overcome it as he built a career in show business and activism.
He was best known for his role as "Boner" on the 1980s hit sit-com Growing Pains as Kirk Cameron_s friend.
He was visiting friends in Vancouver, which he considered his second home outside of Venice, California, and was last seen Feb. 14.
His family reported him missing four days later after never returning home from a scheduled Feb. 18 flight.
Tributes were already beginning to pour out on Twitter and Facebook from fans and celebrities shortly after the press conference. Actress Alyssa Milano offered her condolences on her Twitter account saying, "If you know someone suffering from depression, please do everything in your power to get them help. R.I.P. Andrew." while offering a link to a site with suicide warning signs.
Marlee Matlin also encouraged people to get help, tweeting, "watching Walter Koenig's press conference about his son's death is heartbreaking. Don't ignore depression; recognize it and get help."
William Shatner, who worked alongside Walter on Star Trek films like The Wrath of Khan and The Search for Spock also took to Twitter, saying, "My deepest sympathies to Andrew Koenig's family. I will grieve with them."
On the Facebook fan page for Josh Andrew Koenig, users expressed sadness over the news.
"A part of our youth was taken with you. These are real Growing Pains," one user wrote on the fan page for Josh Andrew Koenig.
Another user wrote, "A new star will shine brightly in the heavens tonight."
