The actor, famous for playing the role of logical science officer Mr
Spock in the long-running sci-fi series, passed away at his Bel Air home
on Friday.
His wife Susan confirmed the news.
Nimoy was taken to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles on Thursday 19 February.
He has entered hospital a number of times over the last few months.
In
a tweet from Nimoy's account, his grandson Dani paid tribute to the
well-loved actor, which signed off using Spock's phrase "Live Long and
Prosper".
"He was an extraordinary man, husband, grandfather,
brother, actor, author-the list goes on- and friend. Thank you for the
warm condolences."
Dani added that the family will be
selling special commemorative shirts online, with proceeds going to the COPD Foundation.
Last year, he revealed he was suffering from chronic lung disease, despite stopping smoking more than 30 years ago.
I quit smoking 30 yrs ago. Not soon enough. I have COPD. Grandpa says, quit now!! LLAP
Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) January 30, 2014
Symptoms of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease include coughing, chest infections and breathlessness.
Leonard Nimoy: Career in pictures
1 of 12
Nimoy was recently pictured looking frail and using an oxygen cylinder as he was wheeled through JFK airport.
Though he stopped attending
Star Trek conventions in 2011, he made a cameo as Spock in the 2013 film
Star Trek Into Darkness, and a number of guest appearances in the science fiction series
Fringe, which ran until 2012.
Nimoy
has played the famous Vulcan character since 1966 and was the only
actor from the original series to return for JJ Abrams’ recent film
versions.
Born in Boston to Jewish immigrants from Russia, Nimoy
was raised in the city's Italian quarter, where he said he felt the
sting of anti-Semitism growing up.
At age 17 he was cast in a local production of Clifford Odets'
Awake and Sing as the son in a Jewish family, and went on to win a drama scholarship at Boston College.
However
he later decided to drop out and moved to California and where he took
acting lessons at the Pasadena Playhouse. The budding actor quickly lost
his Boston accent, enlisted the help of an agent and began playing
small roles in TV series and movies.
In 1954 he married Sandra
Zober, a fellow student at the Pasadena Playhouse, and they had two
children, Julie and Adam. The couple divorced, and in 1988 he married
Susan Bay, a film production executive.
After service in the Army,
he returned to Hollywood, where he worked as a taxi driver, vacuum
cleaner salesman, movie theater usher and other jobs while looking for
acting roles.
The actor found his big break as Spock in TV series
Star Trek, which ran from 1966 to 1969. After the cult series
ended in 1969, he immediately joined the adventure show
Mission Impossible as the master of disguise, Paris.
Starring as Mr Spock in the original TV series of 'Star Trek'. (Getty Images)
From 1976 to 1982 he hosted the syndicated TV series
In Search of... which attempted to probe such mysteries as the legend of the Loch Ness Monster and the disappearance of aviator Amelia Earhart.
Other roles included Israeli leader Golda Meir's husband opposite Ingrid Bergman in the TV drama
A Woman Called Golda .
Nimoy also turned his talents to director, including the hit comedy
Three Men and a Baby, as well as treading the boards in plays such as
A Streetcar Named Desire,
Cat on a Hot Tim Roof,
Fiddler on the Roof,
The King and I,
My Fair Lady,
Equus and Vincent van Gogh in one-man stage show
Vincent.
More recently, he played the moneyed genius William Bell in the Fox series
Fringe.
As a writer he penned poems, children's stories, and also enjoyed photography.
But while the actor enjoyed a rich career, fan’s would always remember his first as Spock.
Trekkies
often greet one another with the Vulcan salute and the Vulcan motto,
“Live Long and Prosper” - both of which Nimoy was credited with bringing
to the character.
He pointed out, however, that the hand gesture was actually derived from one used by rabbis during Hebraic benedictions.
Nimoy signs autographs as he arrives at the Premiere of Paramount Pictures' 'Star Trek Into Darkness' in 2013. (Getty Images)
In 2009, he returned to play an older version of his iconic character in the film
Star Trek,
who meets his younger self, played by Zachary Quinto. Critic Roger
Ebert called the older Spock “the most human character in the film.”
When the movie was released, Nimoy told
The Associated Press
that in his late 70s he was probably closer than ever to being as
comfortable with himself as the logical Spock always appeared to be.
"I know where I'm going, and I know where I've been," he said.
A touching message the actor sent on Twitter last Sunday has now become his last public words.
Additional reporting by AP
The Palm Springs Guru thanks http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/leonard-nimoy-dead-star-trek-spock-actor-dies-after-suffering-lung-disease-10076199.html?origin=internalSearch for publishing this excellent tribute to Leonard Nimoy.