Forgotten Sleep

As a young child of the 80s, I am in no way ashamed to admit that I loved watching “Growing Pains.” I always identified in large part with Carol, the nerdy, socially awkward sister. Oh, who am I kidding, I had a red-hot place in my heart for Mike (played by Kirk Cameron).

I wasn’t close to being a teenager yet, so I reveled in watching what I only assumed were the real-life trials and tribulations of all-American teens. Each episode came with its own drama, its own strife, its own endearing dorkiness.

And part of that was the lovable, but not-nearly-as-good-looking side-kick to Mike Seaver — “Boner” Stabone. He was goofy, he wasn’t quite so bright, and he was frequently the butt of the joke. But, you had to love him. You felt drawn to him. The silly way he curled his mouth when he talked or the way he so readily went along with whatever scheme Mike cooked up — you couldn’t help but have a soft spot for the kind kid who seemed to be a bit of an oaf.

Memories of him on screen playing that likeable character make it all the more sad that the actor who played him — Andrew Koenig — took his own life sometime in the past few weeks. At 41, his family said he was despondent and depressed. He went missing on Valentine’s Day, and his body was discovered in a Vancouver park today.

From the news reports, his family, including his father who played Pavel Chekov on the original Star Trek, seem to be beside themselves with grief. They have clearly been caught off guard — what a horrible thing for a parent to outlive their child.

I’ve talked about this theme many times recently — we so quickly forget that our celebrities are people who suffer from the same problems that the rest of us do. And, for whatever reason, apparently Koenig didn’t feel like he could talk to anyone about his pain. He clearly felt alone.

I pray for his family and friends who are, no doubt, reeling with shock. It’s hard to picture the young man who was known nationally as “Boner” (followed by many childish giggles) for such a long time suffered so much with inner turmoil.

Hopefully, he would want to be remembered as that young man who appeared to smile easily — I’d prefer to hold on to those warm, fuzzy memories of sitting in front of my television as a young kid.