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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”).
Sad day.
I am truly sad. Is it time to launch the Genesis device?
"No matter where you go, there you are." -- Buckaroo Banzai
Leonard Nimoy @TheRealNimoy Feb 23
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP
You will be sorely missed, friend...
You will be missed.
crazy dynamite monkey
Yeah, you didn't mention The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.
Still, :(
So.
Farewell then, Leonard Nimoy.
You were Spock, and then you were not Spock. Or was it the other way round?
If I may be so bold
that
is illogical.
E.J.Thribb (17½)
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
I come to Slashdot for interesting news, not sad news. That said, I watched rerun after rerun of TOS growing up, and the vision expressed in Star Trek permanently impressed on me, with Leonard Nimoy excellent portrayal of Spock and the importance of logic and careful analysis playing a strong role in my career choice. I am confident in saying that I am hardly alone in that, but I'm also confident in saying that I think Mr. Nimoy was well aware of how he had shaped generations of young minds through the medium of acting. Thank you for what you did for all of us.
Seriously - Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock probably inspired more people to enter science, engineering, and intellectualism in general than any other figure in pop culture. He turned anti-intellectualism on its ear by making being a "nerd" not just cool, but even sexy.
Look at any major technology or research company making the world a better place, and I guarantee it was built by people who grew up aspiring to be more like Spock.
No comment text.
Suborbital [spaceflight] is the special olympics of spaceflight. - Rei
A tear just left my eye.
I have mod points and I am not afraid to use them
I told him NOT to wear a Red Shirt today! -- Dr. McCoy
"Cats are just autistic Dogs" -- Dr. Tony Attwood
He was 83. He lived a longer life than most, and if it wasn't this that got him it would have been something else.
\\_//
"Don't smoke. I did. Wish I never had. LLAP"
You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
Agreed, very sad. Most know him for Star Trek, as do I, but he was also a great voice actor as well. His narrations in Civilization 4 were the best the series has ever seen. He will be greatly missed.
Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it.
Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human.
So many other logical characters function as the butt of the joke. They're always the ones who "don't get it", or "lack compassion", or seem "out of touch".
Mr. Nimoy, through Spock, showed how such characters can be more than just socially awkward, how through logic one can derive strong ethics, compassion, and integrity.
A literal inspiration.
Civ 4 was a great game, and part of it was his narrations. He really had a way of saying things beautifully. Maybe my tribute will be playing out a game this weekend.
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
if it wasn't this that got him it would have been something else.
Yeah, 10 years from now...
Sad day.
Indeed.
It honestly hadn't occurred to me that Spock COULD die. He was there on the grainy black and white TV where I first encountered Star Trek as a boy back in the 1960's. He's been ... a constant of the universe.
Other actors, yeah, you know they'll get old and they'll die. But somehow Nimoy seemed rather more immortal. Not because of the events of any of his characters, but just from the sheer icon nature of them.
And least we forget, Gene and Majel Roddenberry have passed as well.
Average Intelligence is a Scary Thing
We're here to mourn one of our fallen heroes. Fuck you for dragging this bullshit in! I will now count you in the same category as the Westboro Baptist Church.
"Be particularly skeptical when presented with evidence confirming what you already believe." -
Though it can be viewed as sad news, he lived a long and "prosperous" life by any measure.
Think about his legacy.
He masterfully played a character who willfully disdained violence and used his massive intellect for the good of sentient beings everywhere.
A brilliant "avatar" for the future.
Leonard Nimoys legacy will live on and is probably the most iconic of all the Star Trek characters.
Spock is right up there with Gandalf and Yoda in the Nerd Trinity.
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
(This can be his non-Spock roles too)
Mine is when he silences the loud music punker on the bus in whale movie.
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.
Honestly, yes, he died of smoking.
But he was 83. What is the median age of death?
It's like the great lines from George Burns:
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
In an earlier era, Yul Brenner had a short video about not smoking and directed it be published after cigarettes killed him.
Suddenly, I feel old. For some reason, I always feel that way about the death of an actor who portrayed a revered character that inspired me in my childhood.
He offered a lot over his life. Really goddamned solid human.
"but he was also a great voice actor as well”
He was also a good stage actor. I saw him do Sherlock Holmes at Playhouse Square in Cleveland when I was a teenager. A Spock-ish role to some degree, but he was very good. One big applause line: “why sir, it is simplylogical!” with a raised eyebrow to the audience.
Damn.
... you have the con.
RIP, Leonard. Godspeed.
That is all.
Even worse, how are we supposed to repair the timeline from this quasi-reboot now?!?!?
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
And Vincent, I saw that years ago on PBS. A monologue about Vincent Van Gogh from his brothers perspective.
Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
Kirk: Bones, you've got to save Spock!
Bones: I'm dead, Jim.
Vulcans live hundreds of years, but Leonard Nimoy will live forever in our hearts.
This one hits close to home.
As a child in the late 1960s I was inspired to my present technical life and career by two major influences: Project Apollo and Star Trek. I thought Spock had the coolest job in the universe. He played with techie stuff and figured stuff out. I wanted that sort of job too. And I got it.
...laura
It'll be one of those moments I'll remember, like coming into work and being told about the Challenger disaster, or turning on the car radio and hearing the hushed voices of the announcers on 9/11. Like so many people I feel a connection to this wonderful man.
Of course he did more than play Spock; and in the early post-TOS years he was famously ambivalent about his association with the role. But he did something special with that role. It's easy in the fog of nostalgia to forget that man TOS scripts weren't all that great (although some of them were). The character of Spock might have become just an obscure bit of pop culture trivia; instead Nimoy turned Spock into a character that I feel sure actors in our grandchildren's generation will want to play and make their mark upon.
What Nimoy brought to that role is a dignity and authenticity, possibly rooted in his "alien" experience as the child of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants. In less sensitive hands the part might have been a joke, but I think what many of us took away from Nimoy's performance was something that became deeply influential in our world views. Nimoy's Spock taught us that there was something admirable in being different even when that is hard for others to understand; that winning the respect of others is just as rewarding as popularity. The world needs its oddballs and misfits, not to conform, but to be the very best version of themselves they can be. Authenticity is integrity.
It's customary to say things in remembrances like "you will be missed", but that falls short. Leonard Nimoy, you will live on in the lives of all us you have touched.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
I had a record by him, in the '60s he was a singer too.
"I'm not much interested in interoperability. I want substitutability. I want to be able to throw your software out."
I've seen a lot of recipes over the years; the one that comes the closest to the effects of the "real" thing is equal parts Everclear, Bacardi 151, and Blue Curacao. It kind of tastes like gasoline but that's part of the appeal, along with pretending it was smuggled across the neutral zone after you've consumed too much of it.... ;)
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
I was thinking that that was my favorite scene as well. I actually also like the similar scene from The Motion Picture (not included in the original theatrical cut, sadly) where Kirk looks to Spock, who has tears streaming down his face, and explains "I weep for V'ger as I would for a brother." In a movie that sadly lacked the emotional angle that TOS and the later films usually had, it was a nice touch.
Thankfully, Nimoy's mixed feelings about Spock and about his experience on The Motion Picture didn't so taint him that he didn't reprise his character, because that makes me think of his death scene from Wrath of Khan, which again shows Nimoy's ability to bring deep feelings to a character that spent a good deal of time reminding everyone of how logical and dispassionate he was.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
I will never forget him, in his iconic white and gold uniform.
Seriously, though, terrible day. I feel like I knew him.
dinner: it's what's for beer
I woke up this morning thinking about my wonderful mother who passed away on Friday, February 27, 2009.
Now I learn that Leonard Nimoy has passed away. My family helped me grow up in so many ways. Leonard NImoy and Star Trek also had a significant positive influence.
I can't think of anything more to say other than I miss Leonard Nimoy as much as I can -- which is quite a bit.
"Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy." -- B. Franklin
Then by all means, sit down.
I have the same album. Singer usually implies a vocal range more than 3 notes wide. It was, alas, one of the things he did not do well.
Being sad is so illogical. But I'm not vulcan unfortunately. Rest In Peace
Let's not forget his career as a singer:
...Ok, never mind. Let's forget his career as a singer....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
I find it gratifying to see that Mr. Nimoy is being remembered on every website and feed that I've visited today. And not merely remembered, but remembered by more people than I've ever seen pay tribute at the same time. Even the passing of Robin Williams wasn't marked with as many posts and comments.
RIP, Leonard.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
I loved his acting as much as anyone, but I disagree that it was necessarily a sad day. He was, after all, 83 years old. He beat the average life expectancy in this country by a wide margin. He made an impact on a huge number of people, as well. He was ready to check out and move on. Really, what could you reasonably expect an 83 year old man to do beyond this point anyways? I'm happy for him and all he's done.
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
In the US the male life expectancy of a 65 year old is about 18 years. Nimoy was wealthy, so add a bit to that. Statistically, he died prematurely. Medically, since he had advanced COPD, he surely did. COPD also sucks, so chances are his last decade or two weren't as nice as they should have been.
In Search Of... consolation...
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
I'm seeing a parallel here with modern day medicine.
:|
Commercials are overflowing with " Ask your Doctor if X is right for you !!! "
Fast forward ten years.
Commercials are overflowing with " Did you or a love one take X that resulted in Death, a third limb, cancer, speaking in tongues or the desire to abuse Nuns ? If so, call the law offices of Y as you may be entitled to a cash compensation !!! "
Wise man say: The experts don't always know what's best for you.
There's 311 posts so far and no mention of Nimoy's role as himself on Futurama.
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