Tributes have been flooding in from all over the world for Leonard Nimoy following his death on Friday at age 83.
One of the most unique messages of remembrance for the legendary “Star Trek” actor came from the final frontier of space itself, when NASA astronaut Terry Virts posted a photo of a Vulcan hand salute on the International Space Station.
The simple message “LLAP” — meaning “Live long and prosper” — accompanied the split-fingered sign made famous by Spock, which was framed by the coastline of Nimoy’s home state of Massachusetts.
The actor died at his Los Angeles home after battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was hospitalized last week after firefighters responded to a medical call at his home. Nimoy was reportedly suffering severe chest pains, and was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center. Last year, Nimoy said on Twitter that he was diagnosed with COPD, which he attributed to a smoking habit he had kicked 30 years earlier.
“I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent, and his capacity to love,” Nimoy’s “Star Trek” captain William Shatner said in a statement.
Shatner has since announced that he will not be attending Nimoy’s funeral on Sunday. “I am currently in FL as I agreed to appear at the Red Cross Ball tonight,” he said on Twitter. “Leonard’s funeral is tomorrow. I can’t make it back in time.”
Nimoy’s many fans included President Obama, whose statement on Friday began: “Long before being nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy… I loved Spock.”
Other tributes flooded in from Hollywood stars such as Seth MacFarlane, Kevin Smith, James Franco, Ben Stiller and Jason Alexander.