Editing Leonard Nimoy (section)

== Illness and death ==
In January 2014, Nimoy revealed publicly that he had been diagnosed with [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]] (COPD), a condition he attributed to a smoking addiction he had quit about 30 years earlier.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.today.com/health/diagnosed-copd-leonard-nimoy-urged-people-quit-smoking-2D80518449 | title = Diagnosed with COPD, Leonard Nimoy urged people to quit smoking | publisher = [[Today (American TV program)|The Today Show]] | date = February 27, 2015 | access-date = February 28, 2015 | first = A. | last = Pawlowski }}</ref> On February 19, 2015, having been in and out of hospitals for several months, Nimoy was taken to [[Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center|UCLA Medical Center]] for chest pains.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/24/entertainment/leonard-nimoy-feat/ | title = Internet to Leonard Nimoy: Live long and prosper | first = Lisa Respers | last = France | date = February 24, 2015 | access-date= February 27, 2015 | publisher = [[CNN]] }}</ref>

On February 25, 2015, Nimoy fell into a coma,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.treknews.net/2016/05/27/leonard-nimoy-final-months-adam-nimoy-copd/|title=Leonard Nimoy's Son Adam Discusses His Father's Final Months [VIDEO]|date=May 27, 2016|website=treknews.net|access-date=July 11, 2017}}</ref> and died of complications from COPD at his home in the [[Bel Air, Los Angeles|Bel Air]] neighborhood of Los Angeles on the morning of February 27, at the age of 83.<ref name="NPR">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/02/27/389520008/he-was-and-will-always-be-our-friend-remembering-leonard-nimoy/|title=He Was, And Will Always Be, Our Friend: Remembering Leonard Nimoy|date=February 27, 2015|website=NPR.org}}</ref> [[Adam Nimoy]] said that as his father came closer to death, "he mellowed out. He made his family a priority and his career became secondary."<ref name=mellowed>{{cite web|last=Nimoy|first=Adam|url=https://twitter.com/StarTrek/status/629758274288484352|title=@StarTrek|website=Twitter (confirmed official)|date=August 7, 2015|access-date=August 7, 2015}}</ref> A few days before his death, Nimoy shared some of his poetry on Twitter: "A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. [[Vulcan salute#"Live long and prosper"|LLAP]]".<ref name=tw-trn-2015-2>{{Cite tweet|user=TheRealNimoy|number=569762773204217857|title=A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP|last=Nimoy|first=Leonard|date=February 22, 2015|access-date=March 4, 2015}}</ref><ref name=hp-ln-2015-02>{{Cite news|last=Goodman|first=Jessica|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/leonard-nimoy-dead_n_6770032|title='Star Trek' Star Leonard Nimoy Dead At 83|work=[[HuffPost]]|date=February 27, 2015|access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref> It was his final tweet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://time.com/3726337/leonard-nimoy-dead-twitter/|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|title=Leonard Nimoy's Final Tweet Will Make You Cry|author=Dockterman, Eliana|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=February 27, 2015|access-date=November 1, 2022|archivedate=February 27, 2015|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20150227182410/http://time.com/3726337/leonard-nimoy-dead-twitter/}}</ref>

He was buried at [[Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery]] in Los Angeles on March 1, 2015.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!-- staff writer(s); no by-line. -->|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31693751|title=Leonard Nimoy's funeral held in LA|work=[[BBC News]]|date=March 2, 2015|access-date=March 2, 2015}}</ref> The service was attended by nearly 300 family members, friends, and former colleagues, including [[Zachary Quinto]], [[Chris Pine]], and [[J. J. Abrams]]. Though [[William Shatner]] did not attend, he was represented by his daughters.<ref name=funeral>{{cite web|last=Vulpo|first=Mike|title=Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto Among Nearly 300 Guests at Leonard Nimoy's Funeral{{nbsp}}...|website=[[E! News]]|date=March 3, 2015|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/631707/chris-pine-zachary-quinto-among-nearly-300-guests-at-leonard-nimoy-s-funeral-all-the-details|access-date=March 4, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Grinberg |first=Emanuella |date=2015-03-01 |title=Shatner defends absence from Nimoy's funeral |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/03/01/entertainment/feat-william-shatner-nimoy-funeral/index.html |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

=== Personal tributes ===
[[File:Astronaut Salutes Nimoy From Orbit.jpg|thumb|[[NASA]] Astronaut [[Terry W. Virts]] shot a photo of the [[Vulcan salute]] from the [[International Space Station]], in orbit above Nimoy's home town of Boston on February 28, 2015.]]
Cast members of ''Star Trek'' who had worked alongside Nimoy gave personal tributes after his death. [[William Shatner]] wrote, "I loved him like a brother.{{nbsp}}... We will all miss his humor, his talent, and his capacity to love."<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/leonard-nimoy-spock-of-star-trek-dead-at-83/ | title = Leonard Nimoy, Spock of ''Star Trek'', dead at 83 | publisher = [[Fox News Channel]] | date = February 27, 2015 | access-date = February 27, 2015 }}</ref> [[George Takei]] called him an "extraordinarily talented man" and a "very decent human being".<ref>Rosen, Christopher (February 27, 2015). [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/27/william-shatner-leonard-nimoy_n_6770654.html "William Shatner, George Takei Pay Tribute to Leonard Nimoy"]. ''[[The Huffington Post]]''.</ref> [[Walter Koenig]] said that after working with him, he discovered Nimoy's "compassion, his intelligence and his humanity".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Koenig|first=Walter|url=https://time.com/3727326/leonard-nimoy-rip-walter-koenig-chekov/|title=Chekov Remembers Spock: Walter Koenig On Leonard Nimoy|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]|date=February 28, 2015|access-date=February 28, 2015}}</ref> [[Nichelle Nichols]] noted that Nimoy's integrity, passion and devotion as an actor "helped transport ''Star Trek'' into television history."<ref>{{cite web|last=Carlson|first=Adam|url=http://www.people.com/article/leonard-nimoy-death-nichelle-nichols|title=Leonard Nimoy Dead: Nichelle Nichols Comments|website=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=February 28, 2015|access-date=February 28, 2015}}</ref> Quinto, who portrayed Spock as a young man in ''[[Star Trek (2009 film)|Star Trek]]'' and ''[[Star Trek Into Darkness]]'', wrote, "My heart is broken. I love you profoundly, my dear friend. And I will miss you every day."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://instagram.com/p/znSmtrLi1v/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/zacharyquinto/929793673295441263 |archive-date=December 23, 2021 |url-access=subscription|access-date=February 27, 2015|date=February 27, 2015|first=Zachary|last=Quinto|author-link=Zachary Quinto|title=zacharyquinto – February 27, 2015|quote=my heart is broken. i love you profoundly, my dear friend. and i will miss you everyday. may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.}}{{cbignore}} <br />{{cite web |url=https://www.wired.com/2015/02/leonard-nimoy-death/ |title=How the Internet Is Remembering the Legendary Leonard Nimoy |last1=McMillan |first1=Graeme |date=February 27, 2015 |website=Wired.com |publisher=[[Wired (website)|Wired]] |access-date=February 28, 2015}}<br /></ref>

U.S. President [[Barack Obama]], who had met Nimoy in 2007, remembered him as "a lifelong lover of the arts and humanities, a supporter of the sciences, generous with his talent and his time".<ref>{{cite news|last=Korte|first=Gregory|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2015/02/27/obama-statement-on-leonard-nimoy-spock/24136695/|title=Obama on death of Leonard Nimoy: 'I loved Spock'|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=February 27, 2015|access-date=March 1, 2015}}</ref> Former [[NASA]] [[astronaut]] [[Buzz Aldrin]] called Nimoy "a fellow space traveler because he helped make the journey into the final frontier accessible to us all".<ref>{{cite news|last=Aldrin|first=Buzz|url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/27/opinion/buzz-aldrin-leonard-nimoy-spock/|title=Buzz Aldrin: Leonard Nimoy, my fellow space traveler|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=February 28, 2015|access-date=March 1, 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Statement by the President on the Passing of Leonard Nimoy.jpg|thumb|Statement by United States President [[Barack Obama]] on Nimoy's death.]]
''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'', which made frequent references to Spock, and for which Nimoy voiced one episode, paid tribute to him after his death. Creator [[Chuck Lorre]]'s [[production logo|vanity card]] at the end of the Season 8 episode, "The Colonization Application" (airing on March 5), featured a picture of Nimoy with the caption, "The impact you had on our show and on our lives is everlasting."<ref name=vanity>{{cite news|last=Derschowitz|first=Jessica|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-big-bang-theory-pays-tribute-to-leonard-nimoy/|title=''The Big Bang Theory'' pays tribute to Leonard Nimoy|work=[[CBS News]]|date=March 6, 2015|access-date=August 2, 2015}}</ref>

The 136th episode of the web series ''[[Angry Video Game Nerd]]'' created by and starring [[James Rolfe]], which covered ''[[Seaman (video game)|Seaman]]'', was dedicated to Nimoy.

As part of a campaign for the 2016 feature film ''[[Star Trek Beyond]]'', aimed at benefiting several charities, Zachary Quinto and other cast members posted a video tribute to Nimoy,<ref>{{cite web|last=Domanico|first=Anthony|url=http://www.cnet.com/news/star-trek-beyond-cast-delivers-touching-tribute-to-leonard-nimoy/|title=''Star Trek Beyond'' cast delivers touching tribute to Leonard Nimoy|website=[[CNET]]|date=August 25, 2015|access-date=August 25, 2015}}</ref> and the film itself paid tribute to him. Its director, [[Justin Lin]], explained: "It's something you'll see in the film. It obviously affected everybody, because he's been a big part of our lives. There's an attempt to acknowledge that in some way."<ref>[http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2016/04/star-trek-beyond-will-pay-tribute-to-leonard-nimoy/ "''Star Trek Beyond'' will pay tribute to Leonard Nimoy"], ''Flickering Myth'', April 12, 2016</ref>

Adam Nimoy directed a biographical documentary on his father, ''[[For the Love of Spock]]'', which Quinto narrated and with which Shatner was also involved.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/leonard-nimoy-son-spock-documentary-1201461815/|title=Leonard Nimoy's Son Plans Spock Documentary{{nbsp}}...|date=March 27, 2015|access-date=March 27, 2015|first=Dave| last=McNary|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Adam Nimoy's 'For The Love Of Spock' To Premiere At Tribeca Film Festival|date=March 16, 2016|url=http://www.treknews.net/2016/03/16/adam-nimoy-for-the-love-of-spock-tribeca-premiere/|access-date=March 27, 2016}}</ref> For charity, Shatner used [[selfie]]s made by Nimoy's fans to create an online tribute mosaic of the Vulcan salute.<ref name=GISHWHES>{{cite news|last=Hanks|first=Henry|url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/09/entertainment/leonard-nimoy-william-shatner-selfie-tribute-feat/|title=Fans and William Shatner pay tribute to Leonard Nimoy with selfie mosaic|work=[[CNN]]|date=August 9, 2015|access-date=August 10, 2015}}</ref>

In June 2015, the [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] named a {{convert|10|km|miles|abbr=on}}-wide asteroid 4864 Nimoy, originally discovered in 1988, in the Solar System's main [[asteroid belt]].<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/06/06/asteroid_4864_nimoy_named_for_leonard_nimoy.html | title = Leonard Nimoy Immortalized in the Asteroid Belt | first = Phil | last = Platt | date = June 6, 2015 | access-date = June 6, 2015 | website = [[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] }}</ref>

Shatner wrote a book about his friendship with Nimoy titled ''Leonard: My Fifty Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man'', released on February 16, 2016.<ref>{{cite book |title=Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man|isbn=978-1-250-08331-9 |url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25819509-leonard|access-date=May 22, 2016}}</ref>

In April 2017, a biographical documentary about his illness, ''[[Remembering Leonard Nimoy]]'' was released, produced by his daughter [[Julie Nimoy|Julie]].

In front of the [[Boston Museum of Science]], a memorial to Nimoy is planned for installation, near where he grew up in the [[West End, Boston|West End of Boston]]. The monumental sculpture will be a larger-than-life representation of a hand displaying his iconic "[[Vulcan salute|live long and prosper]]" gesture. {{As of|2024|11}}, the project is at least 75% funded.<ref name="Nimoy-MOS">{{cite web |title=Leonard Nimoy Memorial |url=https://donate.mos.org/campaign/leonard-nimoy-memorial/c329955 |website=Museum of Science |publisher=Museum of Science, Boston |access-date=2024-11-12}}</ref>