Earlier in the week, George Takai posted that Leonard Nimoy, the actor made most famous as Spock on Star Trek, had been taken to the hospital with what was reported to be serious chest pains. Sadly, Nimoy died today, at his home in Bel-Air, at the age of 83. The cause of death was battles with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a common lung disease that makes it hard to breathe.

Of course, fans will always remember Leonard Nimoy from his role as Spock on the original Star Trek television series, the original cast movies, and later as the sole returning cast member when J.J. Abram rebooted the franchise. While William Shatner likes to entertain fans as the face of the Star Trek franchise, Nimoy was just as important to the success of the series.

However, Star Trek wasn’t the only think fans should remember Leonard Nimoy for. He had quite a prosperous career before Star Trek ever debuted, including a 49-episode run on the Mission: Impossible television series. He played an important role in the very good Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake. More recently, television fans enjoyed his career resurgence on the excellent sci-fi series Fringe.

While there are a lot of words to describe my admiration for Leonard Nimoy, it might be better to let you read what people who knew him said at the time of his passing.

Post by George Takei.

Also, I want to take a chance to share the final tweet that Leonard Nimoy ever sent out. It is poetry he wrote, and it really sums up his life brilliantly.

Yes, Mr. Spock. Live Long and Prosper.

http://youtu.be/dhcR-w-56tA