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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former "Star Trek" co-star William Shatner is among those mourning the death of Leonard Nimoy, who played the half-Vulcan, half-human Mr. Spock on the TV series and in several movies. Shatner says, "We will all miss his humor, his talent and his capacity to love." He says, "I loved him like a brother."
Nimoy's son says the actor died today of obstructive pulmonary disease at his Los Angeles home. He was 83.
From the International Space Station, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti tweeted, "Live Long and Prosper, Mr. Spock" -- invoking the Vulcan motto.
Aboard the Starship Enterprise, Spock was the calm counterpoint to William Shatner's often-emotional Captain Kirk. Once the series ended, he initially tried to distance himself from the role, but later came to embrace it. He appeared in the first six Star Trek films, and directed two of them -- and guest-starred as an older version of himself in some episodes of the show's spinoff TV series, and in a later movie version.
As he sought to analyze the popularity of Spock, Nimoy once told an interviewer that people "recognize in themselves this wish that they could be logical and avoid the pain of anger and confrontation."
%@AP Links
197-r-21-(Sound of Leonard Nimoy as Spock, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn)-"long and prosper (music fade)"-Sound of Leonard Nimoy as Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. (27 Feb 2015)
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193-a-11-(Leonard Nimoy, actor, in AP interview in 2009)-"they got it (second reference)"-In an AP interview in 2009, Leonard Nimoy explains why he decided to reprise his role of Spock in the latest Star Trek movie. (27 Feb 2015)
<<CUT *193 (02/27/15)££ 00:11 "they got it (second reference)"
190-r-01-(Sound of Leonard Nimoy, saying "Live Long and Prosper")--Sound of Leonard Nimoy saying "Live Long and Prosper." (27 Feb 2015)
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APPHOTO NYET510: FILE - In this April 26, 2009 file photo, actor Leonard Nimoy poses for a portrait in Beverly Hills, Calif. Nimoy, famous for playing officer Mr. Spock in "Star Trek" died Friday, Feb. 27, 2015 in Los Angeles of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 83. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File) (26 Apr 2009)
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APPHOTO NYET504: FILE - This undated In this undated file photo released by Paramount Pictures, DeForest Kelley, left, Leonard Nimoy, second left, Nichelle Nichols, second right and William Shatner, right, appear in a scene from the TV series "Star Trek." Nimoy, famous for playing officer Mr. Spock in "Star Trek" died Friday, Feb. 27, 2015 in Los Angeles of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 83. (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, File) (20 Jul 2005)
<<APPHOTO NYET504 (07/20/05)££
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