'Spock' dies aged 83
February 27, 2015
Leonard Nimoy's wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed the beloved actor passed away in his Bel Air home on Friday.
Nimoy announced last year he had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, similar to emphysema, which he attributed to a smoking habit decades earlier. He had been hospitalized earlier in the week.
Nimoy began acting from the age of 18, and after a series of small parts was catapulted to fame following his turn as the half-human, half-Vulcan character aboard the spaceship USS Enterprise.
The calm, level-headed Commander Spock, known for his hand salute and "live long and prosper" greeting, was a foil to William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk, and earned Nimoy three Emmy nominations.
He later revealed he based the symbol on hand gestures he'd seen worshippers make at the synagogue he had attended as a child.
He also appeared in several "Star Trek" feature films after the 1960s US television series ended, and continued acting and directing, including the 1987 movie "3 Men and a Baby."
But he also struggled with being typecast post-Star Trek, and in 1975 released a book called "I Am Not Spock". He later came to be at peace with his role in the sci-fi community, and wrote a rebuttal to the first memoir titled "I Am Spock" in 1995.
"Spock is definitely one of my best friends. When I put on those ears, it's not like just another day. When I become Spock, that day becomes something special," he said.
Nimoy often signed off messages from his Twitter account with "LLAP", an abbreviation of his trademark phrase.
In an interview given in the same year, Nimoy said that he believed people related to Spock because they "recognize in themselves this wish that they could be logical and avoid the pain of anger and confrontation."
He revived Spock for the franchise's reboot in 2009, and again in 2013. He also acted in the sci-fi series "Fringe" from 2008 to 2013, and continued to appear at conventions.
In his spare time he released books on photography and poetry, and appeared in several plays such as "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Fiddler on the Roof."
He also put his distinctive voice to use, narrating several television shows and films.
Nimoy is survived by two children from his first marriage, a stepson, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
an/msh (AFP, Reuters, dpa)