Leonard Nimoy, Mr. Spock from "Star Trek" has died

Nimoy left a huge cultural legacy and with the news of his death, social networks were filled with stories of people who were inspired by Spock's character and went to study science

By Nancy Atkinson

Leonard Nimoy played the role of the character of Mr. Spock - half human and half alien in the television series "Star Trek". Spock was brave and gave his life to save his crew members but came back to life after his mind was removed from his head. He was then sent through time so he could live forever in the Star Trek universe.

But this time it's real, Leonardo Nimoy died yesterday at the age of 83, leaving behind a living legacy and not only as a science fiction character but also to generations of scientists and researchers he inspired.

Nimoy was hospitalized earlier this week and his agent confirmed his death on Friday. According to him, the cause of death was the final stage of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease he suffered from during the years he smoked. Nimoy publicly admitted that he was ill last year, blaming it on years of smoking, although he had already quit about 30 years ago.

Nimoy was very active on social networks and in the last two months it seems that he has been sending farewell messages to his fans, including messages of wisdom and sympathy that always ended with the initials LLAP - "live long and prosper", a sentence that Nimoy often says in his role as Spook.

Now after the announcement of his death, messages of sympathy have begun to appear on social media, describing how Nimoy inspired generations to search and explore the final frontier.

Journalist Nadia Drake, who contributed the photo to this article, shares her memories with the Universe Today website: "Spock's character was characterized by his volcanic logic and pointed ears and Nimoy was beloved by Star Trek fans in all eras. Not only did Nimoy appear in the original series but he also revived the character of Spock in other versions of the series. He appeared in eight "Star Trek" films and in three "Masa" series: the original, the illustrated and "Star Trek - The Next Generation".

In addition to Star Trek, Nimoy appeared in The Twilight Zone, Mission Impossible, Them!, Brain Eaters, Sea Hunter, The Outer Limits, Be Smart, The Man from UNCLE, Night Gallery and was the host of the series Looking For. He also wrote two biographies "I am not Spock" and "I am Spock" after realizing that this is the character he identifies with the most. He also wrote and performed five albums, one of which was called "Leonard Nimoy Presents the Music of Mr. Spock from Outer Space". He was also a photographer and poet, contributed his voice to dubbing and directed six films including "Star Trek 4 - The Journey Home" and "Three Men and a Baby."

The Hidan site adds: In 1982, Nimoy directed the TV movie "A Woman Named Golda", about Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, which earned him an Emmy Award nomination, in which he played Meir's husband alongside Ingrid Bergman. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for this film and three films from the "Star Trek" series but never won it.

Nimoi, who was born to ultra-Orthodox immigrant parents from the Ukraine, used his knowledge of tradition and conveyed to the audience of science fiction fans the hand gesture with spread fingers, used in the blessing of the priests.
He left behind a wife - Susan, two children and six grandchildren from his marriage to Sandra Zuber.