Leonard Nimoy, Spock of "Star Trek", dies at 83

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP." LLAP is an abbreviation to "Live long and prosper."

That was the last tweet posted Monday by Leonard Nimoy, the actor best known for his role as Mr. Spock in the "Star Trek" television series. Nimoy died at his Bel-Air home on Friday in Los Angeles at the age of 83.

Nimoy's wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, saying the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Nimoy revealed in recent months he had the disease, a condition he attributed to years of smoking, a habit he had given up 30 years earlier. He was briefly hospitalized last week.

Nimoy appeared in the original "Star Trek" TV series, which ran on NBC from 1966 to 1969. He then was best known for his role as Spock in the original "Star Trek" series and in multiple film, television and video game sequels.

Nimoy portrayed Spock for 40 years, reprising the role in 2009' s "Star Trek" and 2013's "Star Trek Into Darkness."

The iconic role of Spock, noted by his Vulcan salute in which he spread apart the middle and ring finger on his right hand and his salutation of "Live long and prosper" -- was voted by TV Guide one of the top 50 television characters of all-time.

Nimoy's career in show business spanned more than six decades and included stints as a stage actor, television guest star, series regular and movie veteran.

He also directed a handful of movies, including the box-office hit "Three Men and a Baby" in 1987. Meanwhile, he was a singer, a published poet and an accomplished photographer. He was also an accomplished voice actor, and can be heard in two episodes of "The Simpsons," "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," "Transformers: The Movie," "The Pagemaster," and dozens of other projects, including video games.

Born on March 26, 1931, Leonard Simon Nimoy first acted in a community settlement house for immigrants. At 17, he was cast in a Boston production of the Clifford Odets play "Awake and Sing!"

"My folks came to the U.S. as immigrants," he said in a 2012 speech at Boston University. "They were aliens, and then became citizens. I was born in Boston a citizen, and then I went to Hollywood and became an alien."

William Shatner, who played opposite Nimoy as Captain Kirk in the original television series and subsequent films, said, "I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent and his capacity to love." Endite