Leonard Nimoy, famous for playing the iconic, pointy-eared Spock in “Star Trek,” died at his Los Angeles home Friday. He was 83.
After he was hospitalized in 2013, Nimoy announced that years of smoking had given him lung disease. His wife Susan confirmed that his cause of death was the end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It has no cure.
Though he played many roles, it was his emotionless character, memorable for saying “live long and prosper,” that made him famous and earned him an obsessive fan base.
And who could forget the bowl haircut and the hand gesture, which Nimoy himself developed?
Nimoy and his wife, Susan. (Photo: Getty Images
Nimoy was cast in the original “Star Trek” series, which had a three-season run, alongside William Shatner in the 1960s.
Not only was he Spock, but also a writer, director, photographer and musician. He went on to voice characters, appear in spinoffs, and even directed “The Search for Spock” and “The Voyage Home.” He later wrote two autobiographies about how he was so closely tied to the character, “I Am Not Spock” in the 1970s and “I Am Spock” in 1995.
“Spock is even more representative of the show because he was so unique. So incredibly singular,” George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu in the TV series, said to USA Today.
“None of us had pointy ears or those eyebrows that would shoot up like that. We all got used to seeing those ears.”
Nimoy’s last tweet was a poignant one, which he signed “LLAP.”
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 23, 2015