R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy

[ByteBORG]

Leonard Nimoy, whose portrayal of "Star Trek's" logic-driven, half-human science officer Spock made him an iconic figure to generations, died Friday. He was 83.

Nimoy died this morning in Bel Air, California, his son Adam Nimoy told CNN.

According to his granddaughter, Madeleine Nimoy, the cause of death was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

"We return you now to the stars, Leonard. You taught us to 'Live Long And Prosper,' and you indeed did, friend," Takei wrote.

Nimoy's career in show business spanned more than six decades and included stints as a stage actor, television guest star, series regular and movie veteran. He also directed a handful of films, including the box-office hit "Three Men and a Baby" in 1987. He was a singer (of sorts), a published poet and an accomplished photographer.

But his lasting claim to fame remains Spock, a native of the planet Vulcan whose pointed ears, unemotional manner and frequently uttered "fascinating" endeared him to millions. Astronaut Chris Hadfield remembered him as an "inspiration."

Leonard Simon Nimoy was actually born in Boston, far from Vulcan, on March 26, 1931. (His longtime "Trek" colleague, William Shatner, was born four days earlier in Montreal.) His parents were Russian immigrants, and he was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family.

He incorporated some of his religious heritage into the "Star Trek" character, most notably the hand gesticulation accompanied by the phrase "Live long and prosper." It was adopted from a blessing given by a Jewish priestly class called the kohanim. Nimoy credited writer Theodore Sturgeon for the phrase "Live long and prosper," a variation of a spoken blessing.

According to the Internet Movie Database, Nimoy made $1,250 an episode for "Trek's" first season.

[Skipmuck]

 

[Pigmeat]

I wonder how long Al will stay on the roof when he hears this news?

[Fansome]

I actually got his autograph back in the mid-60s. He had released an album, the one with "Bilbo Baggins", and went on a tour. Back then in SoCal there was a chain of music stores called "Music City", started by Glenn Wallichs, the founder of Capitol Records, and Nimoy worked his way through them promoting his album.

When my buddies and I heard he was going to be there, we got on our Stingray bikes and rode over the  local store, and got in line for autographs. It took a while, but we finally got to the head of the line. It turns out that Nimoy was actually expecting to be signing albums, with the expectation that they were going to be paid for, and he was not happy that all we had were scraps of paper to sign, as we had no money to buy his album. He made a couple of nasty remarks, but to his credit, he did sign our scraps.

I had that autograph for years, until I went away to college, when my dimwitted brother got my room. He gathered up all of my memorabilia and dumped it into the trash, and that was the end of it. I should have tossed him over the bridge with the bag of puppies when I had the chance.

[Pigmeat]

It sounds as if your brother was wise beyond his years.

I'll tell you what, I'll get my old Schwinn Apple Crate out of the basement and you get your old beater out of the junk pile. We'll have a wheelie contest. Whoever rides one the farthest gets Belinda Carlisle and a years supply of Pixie Stix.

No helmets, a real Stingray man doesn't need a stinkin' helmet for poppin' wheelies.

[John Poet]

I'm not quite done with Belinda... but when I am, I'll beam her aboard.


Goodbye, Mr. Spock... he's off to another galaxy...