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Leonard Nimoy Dies At 83
Esther Schindler writes: According to the NY Times, Leonard Nimoy died on Friday morning at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83 years old. He was, and always shall be, our friend.
From the article:
His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, saying the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Mr. Nimoy announced last year that he had the disease, which he attributed to years of smoking, a habit he had given up three decades earlier. He had been hospitalized earlier in the week. His artistic pursuits — poetry, photography and music in addition to acting — ranged far beyond the United Federation of Planets, but it was as Mr. Spock that Mr. Nimoy became a folk hero, bringing to life one of the most indelible characters of the last half century: a cerebral, unflappable, pointy-eared Vulcan with a signature salute and blessing: “Live long and prosper” (from the Vulcan “Dif-tor heh smusma”).
A tear just left my eye.
I have mod points and I am not afraid to use them
Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human.
Spock ended up being combined with the character of "Number One" after the first pilot. In "The Cage" Spock wasn't an emotionless alien. The female second in command was the one that was considered cold and emotionless. When the network wouldn't allow a female commander then that character was removed and her traits given to Spock.
He died at 83; smoking probably didn't kill him so much as being old.
Considering the cause of death was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, I'd guess smoking played a major part. Says Wikipedia:
Tobacco smoking is the most common cause of COPD, with a number of other factors such as air pollution and genetics playing a smaller role.
But it's a sad day regardless.
"What do you despise? By this are you truly known." --Princess Irulan, Manual of Muad'Dib
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In fact, the public did not know back in the late 1950s and early 1960s that tobacco smoking was so dangerous, and it was touted as good for you in commercials. However, the tobacco companies had plenty of information at that point that cancer rates were much higher in smokers.
A brain is a terrible thing to waste... Mind? That's debatable.
In fact, the public did not know back in the late 1950s and early 1960s that tobacco smoking was so dangerous
Yes the public did. My father-in-law was born in the late 1920's and they called them "nails in your coffin" back when he started smoking as a teen.
The tobacco companies did a great marketing job, so it was cool, or "the bees knees" to be a smoker regardless of the health risks. But they did do a great job of suppressing anything that definitively showed the risks of smoking. While smoking is decreasing in popularity, just look at how many people still smoke. Even knowing how harmful it is currently.
There's 311 posts so far and no mention of Nimoy's role as himself on Futurama.
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