Today Leonard Nimoy, the actor best known for his portrayal of Spock on Star Trek, died at age 83. He leaves behind a legacy of a science fiction generation and a swell of fans sad at his passing yet proud of his life accomplishments.

His wife, Susan Nimoy, told The New York Times that her husband died as a result of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The actor announced he had COPD last January in a tweet urging his fans to stop smoking, as he attributed the onset of the disease to the habit he quit three decades ago.

No stranger to Twitter or social media, Nimoy’s last tweet is something that will bring tears to your eyes:

A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP

— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 23, 2015

The acronym “LLAP” at the end of the tweet is the phrase, “Live Long and Prosper,” an oft used Vulcan greeting and farewell attributed to the culture of his character from Star Trek, Spock. Leonard Nimoy is best known for his role in what is called Star Trek: The Original Series (or ST:TOS) which only lasted three seasons but spawned a massive cultural outlay in the science fiction community.

Nimoy appeared in several Star Trek related films and an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and recently reprised his role as Spock in the new J.J. Abrams reboot of the Star Trek universe in two movies from 2009 and 2013.

Star Trek Online players gather on Vulcan, home world of Spock, filling 20 instances (50 players each) during an ad hoc memorial after news of Leonard Nimoy’s death.

The actor also lent his voice to the massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) Star Trek Online where players are greeted by Nimoy’s sonorous tones every time they visit one of the original sectors of space. The team at STO published their own memorial to Nimoy and some players have suggested a statue of his character added to the planet Vulcan (Spock’s home world) added to the virtual world in game.

His first acting credit is from an odd 1951 film called Queen for a Day, based on a radio program out of Holloywood of the same name. Nimoy’s acting career catapulted him through numerous different films, from science fiction to the ordinary, over the next sixty years. His voice is even featured in such films as Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon and the popular Disney video game Kingdom Hearts.

Leonard Nimoy, as Spock, as an actor, as a man had a profound impact on the science fiction community and he will be remembered. As apparently his role as Spock, and interacting with the SciFi community had a profound impact on him.

The New York Times memorial article on his death includes a quote from Nimoy’s writing about his experience after acting in the original Star Trek series.

He wrote, “To this day, I sense Vulcan speech patterns, Vulcan social attitudes and even Vulcan patterns of logic and emotional suppression in my behavior,” to which he added, “Given the choice, if I had to be someone else, I would be Spock.”

Although the man, Leonard Nimoy, is dead, no doubt his legacy, through Spock, will endure to live long and prosper on film and in the hearts and minds of his fans.

Image credit: Photo by NBC, via Photofest.