Actor Leonard Nimoy, 83, died Friday at his home in Los Angeles of long-standing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Known best for his iconic role as the stoic Vulcan officer “Mr. Spock” on the bridge of the star ship “Enterprise” in the “Star Trek” television series, Nimoy was true to his character’s nature in his ability to state the unvarnished truth, to the very end.
He attributed his disease to years of smoking, saying once in an interview that he had quit 30 years earlier but “it wasn’t early enough.”
He appeared numerous times in subsequent ‘Star Trek’ movies that emerged as spin-offs from the original series. The program attracted a massive worldwide following that included the young and old, commoners and glitterati alike: even Jordan’s King Abdullah II is known to be a fan.
But Nimoy also was an accomplished poet, musician, writer and director.
Nimoy’s final tweet, posted this past Sunday, reflects his longtime philosophy on life. “A life is like a garden,” he wrote. “Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP.”
Live Long and Prosper. Nimoy had from the start bestowed this phrase on Spock as his watch-word when saying goodbye as a Vulcan in Star Trek. It was always delivered with the split-fingered gesture the actor distilled from the blessing made by the kohanim in the synagogue where his family prayed.
For Leonard Nimoy grew up as the son of Orthodox Jews, Ukrainian immigrants in Boston. He left this world as he entered it, blessing those around him. Live Long And Prosper.
