Koenig is pictured here portraying Chekov in the original series in a full-page photo that appears in the 1973 issue of The Monster Times magazine that I wrote about just last month for the show's 60th anniversary.
Ashar and I had the very nice fortune of meeting Koenig in April 2019 at Steel City Con in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. I think it was the final day of the show, and when we arrived first thing in the morning, the crowd was sparse but Koenig was already at his table. No one else was in line, so we both had the opportunity to chat with him for several minutes. Ashar discussed his recent spinal surgery, which Koenig was very curious about. He marveled at how far we've come with science and medicine, noting that people as recently as the mid-20th century simply didn't have access to some of the life-changing and life-saving medicine and surgeries that are available to us today. He told us a little bit about his mother, Sarah Koenig (née Strauss), who had been born in the Russian Empire in 1902 and later emigrated to the United States (Walter was born in 1936 in Chicago).
It's not hard to find many wonderful stories about Walter Koenig being shared around the internet today. Personally, I cherished this series of skeets by actor George Takei, whose character Hikaru Sulu sat alongside Koenig's Chekov on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise for so many fictional adventures:
"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. When Brad and I married in 2008, Walter stood beside us as our best man. Just last month, on Sept. 14, 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. – George"