Leonard Nimoy Dies; Family, Costars and Celebs Share Remembrances

Leonard Nimoy, best known as Star Trek’s pointy-eared Vulcan Mr. Spock, has reportedly died from pulmonary disease at age 83.

One of the best-known stars of the series, Nimoy debuted the role of half-human, half-Vulcan Spock when Star Trek premiered in 1966. As the logical, stalwart right-hand man to Captain Kirk, he made made Vulcan death grips and split-fingered salutes a permanent part of the pop culture world, and cemented “live long and prosper” as more than a catch phrase.

The New York Times paints a rich picture of Nimoy’s life beyond the iconic character. And on Twitter, his granddaughter Dani Schwartz posted a remembrance through Nimoy’s Twitter account:

Leonard Nimoy 1931-2015 Read: http://t.co/pw7zYRRlts

— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 27, 2015

Leonard Nimoy 1931-2015

Hi all, as you all know, my Grandpa passed away this morning at 8:40 from end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was an extraordinary man, husband, grandfather, brother, actor, author-the list goes on- and friend. Thank you for the warm condolences. May you all LLAP. – Dani

P.s. I will be putting special shirts up on our site, SHOPLLAP.com, where all of the proceeds will go to the COPD Foundation. I hope to hear from you all.

COPD is short for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the illness that caused Nimoy’s death.

Around the Web, celebrities mourned the loss of one of their own:

“I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent, and his capacity to love.” -William Shatner http://t.co/U8ZN98tVYp

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) February 27, 2015

my heart is broken. i love you profoundly my dear friend. and i will miss you everyday. may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

A photo posted by Zachary Quinto (@zacharyquinto) on Feb 27, 2015 at 10:01am PST

We stood on your shoulders, and wouldn’t have had a galaxy to explore if you hadn’t been there, first. Thank you, Leonard, Rest in peace.

— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) February 27, 2015

. @TheRealNimoy I have been, and always shall be, your fan. Thank you.

— Nathan Fillion (@NathanFillion) February 27, 2015

#LLAP RIP to the best First Officer. @TheRealNimoy

— Jonathan Frakes (@jonathansfrakes) February 27, 2015

Leonard Nimoy brought us one of the greatest, noblest characters in the history of American storytelling. Someone find the Genesis planet.

— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) February 27, 2015

Leonard Nimoy was more than Mr. Spock. But Mr. Spock is his gift to us all. Live long and prosper. HANX.

— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) February 27, 2015

The only blue and gold that matter today. pic.twitter.com/4uPBS40iIa

— Gary Whitta (@garywhitta) February 27, 2015

#LeonardNimoy illustr8d th blessing of Th High Priest on Star Trek-every1 who watched th show received his loving intentions thru his hands.

— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) February 27, 2015

“Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most… Human.” Farewell, Leonard Nimoy – Actor, Director, Pop culture icon.

— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) February 27, 2015

RIP Leonard Nimoy. So many of us at NASA were inspired by Star Trek. Boldly go… http://t.co/qpeH5BTzQc pic.twitter.com/nMmFMKYv1L

— NASA (@NASA) February 27, 2015

I once had the honour of auditioning for him and he was incredibly kind and supportive. RIP Leonard Nimoy.

— Colin Mochrie (@colinmochrie) February 27, 2015

— Diana Oliveira contributed to this story.

MORE: Isaac Asimov’s 1967 essay on how Spock made smart sexy.