You might know him as Spock in the original TV series Star Trek, the man with that V (Vulcan) hand gesture, that guy who sang “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins”, and the old Spock in the recent Star Trek films. Leonard Nimoy passed away at age 83 last Friday. His wife Susan Bay Nimoy confirmed that his cause of death was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He wasn’t just that Star Trek guy, he was also an influential and selfless man. Co-star George Takei called him “the most human person I’ve ever met”.
Nimoy was a role model like his famous character, especially when comes to bullying and diversity. He fought for equal pay for Takei and their co-star Nichelle Nichol to the point that he planned to leave the show if they didn’t get fair treatment. Takei quoted Nimoy saying, “Star Trek is about diversity, and the two people who represent diversity most are Nichelle and George, and if they can’t be a part of this project, then you don’t want me.” It was recently discovered that Nimoy gave touching advice to a fan who struggled with self-acceptance decades ago.
Many fans, acquaintances and even NASA have expressed their thoughts on Nimoy’s passing all over social media – most posted “Live long and prosper”, Spock’s iconic line. Canadians are honouring the man by “Spocking” their $5 banknotes, drawing Nimoy on them. Meanwhile Terry Virt, a NASA astronaut took a photo of himself making the famous Vulcan salute from the International Space Station.
Nimoy did live long and prosperous, and so will his memory.