Leonard Nimoy, known for his iconic Vulcan character Mr. Spock on the original “Star Trek” television series and subsequent franchise films, died Feb. 27 in Bel-Air, Calif., his granddaughter Madeleine Nimoy has confirmed. He was 83.
His son Adam said that he died of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
According to The New York Times, the actor revealed he was struggling with the ailment in 2014. Nimoy had been a smoker, which contributed to the ailment, before he gave up the habit years ago.
“I quit smoking 30 years ago,” he tweeted last year. “Not soon enough. I have COPD… Smokers, please understand: If you quit after you’re diagnosed with lung damage, it’s too late. Grandpa says learn my lesson. Quit now.”
Earlier this week, Nimoy tweeted for the last time, writing: “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP,” signing the tweet with his iconic phrase “live long and prosper.”
Nimoy, an Army veteran, began acting in the early 1950s, staring in TV runs on “The Silent Service,” “Broken Arrow” and “Dragnet.” But it was his debut as Mr. Spock in the 1960s series “Star Trek” that made him a cult legend.
He first brought Mr. Spock to the screen in 1965 for the original “Star Trek” pilot and would play the character until 1969. He would go on to star in eight movies and build a cult following as the half-human, half-Vulcan figure famous for his hand gesture that meant “live long and prosper.”
After a long and successful career since the beginning of “Trek,” Nimoy had brought back his famous role in 2009’s reboot “Star Trek” movie and the recent sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness” in 2013. Zachary Quinto played a younger version of Spock in those films.
In an interview with StarTrek.com, Nimoy expressed his gratitude to reboot director J.J. Abrams for bringing him back to honor him in the new series.
“I think he’s done a great thing for ‘Star Trek,'” he said. “I’m very grateful to him. We all owe him a lot. When someone comes along like he has done and picks it up and elevates it, we should be grateful. So when J.J. calls me, I take the call.”
Nimoy began his career as an acting teacher in his early 20s in Hollywood and wrote his autobiographies “I Am Not Spock” in 1975 and “I Am Spock” in 1995. He starred as a voice in 2011’s “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and as Dr. William Bell in another cult classic series, “Fringe.” Nimoy was also an accomplished photographer and musician.
Flowers were placed on his Walk of Fame star in Hollywood the morning of Feb. 27.
Nimoy is survived by his wife Susan Bay and his two children, Adam and Julie.
— ABC News