Leonard Nimoy’s Death Draws Tributes From Seth MacFarlane, Kevin Smith, James Franco, Ben Stiller

Twitter was quickly ablaze with messages honoring the Star Trek legend

“Star Trek” actor Leonard Nimoy passed away on Friday morning, and Hollywood and the rest of the country quickly responded with personal statements and posts to Twitter in honor of the man who played Mr. Spock in the iconic science-fiction franchise.

His fans included President Obama, whose statement began, “Long before being nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy … I loved Spock.”

Also read: President Obama on Leonard Nimoy: ‘I Loved Spock’

From the show-business community, Seth MacFarlane tweeted a reference to the fictional planet that regenerates life in “Star Trek”: “Leonard Nimoy brought us one of the greatest, noblest characters in the history of American storytelling. Someone find the Genesis planet.”

Many of the actor’s personal friends and close colleagues, including a number of his “Star Trek” co-workers, issued statements.

William Shatner, who portrayed “Star Trek” Captain James T. Kirk, said, “I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent, and his capacity to love.”

Rod Roddenberry, CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment and son of the legendary “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, said, “The death of Leonard Nimoy is indeed an immense loss to us all. I only hope that during this difficult time we can all take comfort in the everlasting impact he has made. As Spock he portrayed the first Roddenberry character, an outsider who truly let us see ourselves. Leonard Nimoy’s talent allowed millions to learn more about who we are and who we want to be. I will always thank him for that.”

George Takei, who played Sulu in the “Star Trek” series, said on Facebook: “Today, the world lost a great man, and I lost a great friend. We return you now to the stars, Leonard. You taught us to ‘Live Long And Prosper,’ and you indeed did, friend. I shall miss you in so many, many ways.”

And Zachary Quinto, who took on the role of playing the young Mr. Spock in J.J. Abrams' reboot of the franchise, wrote on Istagram, "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."

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[caption id="attachment_433226" align="aligncenter" width="618"]Leonard Nimoy and John Noble in Fringe (Fox) Fox[/caption]

"A true legend and a wonderful human being," said John Noble, who costarred with Nimoy in Fox sci-fi series "Fringe." "I was extremely honored to work with him. Very sadly missed.”

Anna Torv, who also appeared in "Fringe" alongside the actor, said, "How fortunate was I to share a call sheet with the elegant and gentle legend that is Leonard Nimoy. Nobody put it better than the man himself. You WILL be preserved and loved in memory by all who crossed your path. I am amongst the lucky ones -- who will miss you dearly."

"He was a remarkable man, well known not only for his acting and directing, but also for his photography, contemporary art collection, and for his extremely generous philanthropic contributions and support of the arts," Bob and David Gersh of the Gersh Agency, Nimoy's longtime agency, noted.

Actor Steve Guttenberg, who appeared in Nimoy-directed 1987 hit film "3 Men and a Baby," said, "Leonard Nimoy was smart, warm and had a personality that made everyone feel comfortable. He was a talented actor, director, poet and photographer. But his most enduring quality was his kindness and his desire to make you the most you could be. Like everyone who knew or knew of him, I will miss him."

"Leonard was a good friend and a fine director. His contribution to 'Three Men and a Baby' could never be overstated," said actor Tom Selleck.

Hollywood stars including Kevin Smith, Josh Gad and Mia Farrow also honored Nimoy on social media:

On Instagram, James Franco posted a photo of Nimoy in "Star Trek" and wrote, "❤️  to Spock. ICONIC."

Ben Stiller called the actor "Seriously one of the coolest people ever."

       
Well done, sir. Many thanks for all you gave us. You'll be greatly missed & forever remembered.   A photo posted by Seth Green (@sethgreen) on
[tw_gallery gallery_id=433094][tw_gallery gallery_id=433143]

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