Leonard Nimoy Dead: Comic-Con Responds As Tributes Continue


Leonard Nimoy, the iconic actor, poet, singer, and photographer revered for his stoic and logical portrayal of the the inimitable Vulcan Mr. Spock on the original series of the pop culture sci-fi phenomenon Star Trek and it’s subsequent films, passed away on Friday at the age of 83 after suffering from the degenerative lung disease COPD.

Since then, tributes have poured in from Nimoy’s dedicated fan base, including a weekend-long tribute from retro television channel MeTV, which, in addition to airing several episodes of Star Trek, will also air lesser-known episodes from Nimoy’s television career, according to Robert Channick of the Chicago Tribune.

MeTV’s tribute to Nimoy includes guest appearances on classic shows such as Perry Mason, where Nimoy played Pete Chennery in “The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe,” Nimoy’s Western turns in Bonanza, and Rawhide, in which Nimoy played Freddie in “The Ape” and Anko in “Incident Before Black Pass,” respectively.

The tribute concludes Sunday night with a four-and-a-half hour block featuring Nimoy’s turns in Columbo, where Nimoy played Dr. Barry Manfield in “A Stitch in Crime,” Twilight Zone, in which Nimoy portrayed Hanson in “A Quality of Mercy,” The Man From Uncle, where Nimoy played Vladeck in “The Project Strigas Affair,” Mission Impossible, in which Nimoy was featured as the recurring character Paris, and Get Smart, wherein Nimoy played the character of Stryker in “The Dead Spy Scrawls.”

Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Weigel Broadcasting, owner of MeTV, said that the channel’s regular broadcasting schedule remained largely intact, merely necessitating a change in which episodes were to air.

“Everything else was on the schedule, we just changed the episodes. He’s the essence of what MeTV is all about, a timeless actor with a character that touched a lot of lives. I think there are a lot of sad people who felt that he was part of their family or an important part of their growing up.”

David Glanzer, spokesperson for San Diego Comic-Con, the largest pop culture convention in the United States and an event at which Nimoy often a featured guest, conveyed the organization’s condolences and spoke of Nimoy’s importance to the pop culture zeitgeist, according to Ryan Posner of the Times of San Diego.

“We were terribly saddened to learn of the passing of Leonard Nimoy. An always-popular guest at Comic-Con, Mr. Nimoy was a respected and talented actor, director and artist who left a remarkable legacy on popular art the world over. He will be greatly missed.”

Steve Ricossa, executive producer of the MMO Star Trek Online video game for which Nimoy provided voiceover for the Mr. Spock character, announced plans to include a permanent memorial to Nimoy following a spontaneous vigil held by nearly 1,000 of the games players following the announcement of his death. Online players reportedly migrated to the digital city of Vulcan to pay homage, according to Benjamin Kaye of Spinoff Online.

“We want to make sure we never forget the cultural impact of the man or the character he played. To that end, the Star Trek Online team will implement a standing in-game memorial to Spock and Leonard Nimoy. In this way, we hope to keep his memory alive in our game, as he is in all of our hearts. LLAP.”

The memorial will appear in the game following regularly scheduled maintenance on March 5.

Share this article: Leonard Nimoy Dead: Comic-Con Responds As Tributes Continue
More from Inquisitr