Nimoy, who had battled chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD), died in the morning at his home in Los
Angeles' Bel Air section, his agents, Bob and David
Gersh, said in a statement.
"We return you now to the
stars, Leonard," fellow "Star Trek" cast member George
Takei wrote on Facebook.
"You taught us to 'Live long and prosper,' and you
indeed did, friend," said Takei, recalling the trademark
phrase uttered by Nimoy's character.
Nimoy had long struggled with a love-hate
relationship with the role of Spock - the half-human,
half-Vulcan first officer on the starship Enterprise -
but came to accept its part in his life.
Last year, he disclosed on Twitter that he had been
diagnosed with COPD, a progressive lung disease.
"I quit smoking 30 years ago. Not soon enough," he
tweeted to his 810,000 followers. "Grandpa says, quit
now!!"
Nimoy had other roles during a lengthy career in TV,
film and theater. He directed successful movies, wrote
books, composed poetry, published photographs and
recorded music. But he will be forever linked to Spock
in the original 1960s "Star Trek" TV series and
subsequent movies.
Known for suppressing his emotions and using logic to
guide his actions, the pointy-eared Spock - whose father
was from Vulcan and whose mother was from Earth - became
one of science fiction's best-known, most beloved
characters.
U.S. President Barack Obama, who has been compared to
Spock for his prominent ears and coolheaded demeanor,
called Nimoy and his character "the center of 'Star
Trek's' optimistic, inclusive vision of humanity's
future."
"I loved Spock," the president said in a statement.
For years, Nimoy resented that Spock defined him, but
ultimately came to accept that his life would be
intertwined with the character, who inspired a fervent
fan following.
His feelings were summed up in the titles of his
memoirs: "I Am Not Spock" in 1975 and "I Am Spock" two
decades later.
"I was involved in something of a crusade to develop
a reputation as an actor with some range," Nimoy wrote
in "I Am Not Spock."
"I went through a definite identity crisis. The
question was whether to embrace Mr. Spock or to fight
the onslaught of public interest. I realize now that I
really had no choice in the matter. Spock and 'Star
Trek' were very much alive and there wasn't anything
that I could do to change that."
Still, he wrote that if given the choice of being any
other TV character, he would choose Spock.
Nimoy had often confronted the original series'
creators over their conception of Spock, and his input
was responsible for many aspects of the character.
He came up with the "Vulcan nerve grip" that rendered
foes unconscious, and the split-fingered Vulcan "live
long and prosper" salute. (He said the gesture was
inspired by one he had seen worshippers make in his
synagogue when he was a boy.)
Nimoy signed off his tweets with "LLAP," an
abbreviation of "live long and prosper."
