Leonard Nimoy, the legendary actor who played Mr. Spock in the ‘Star Trek’ movies and TV series, has died aged 83.

His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed that the cause of his death was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

He died at his home in Los Angeles on Friday morning.

The actor had been battling the disease for months – he attributed it to years of smoking - though he gave up the habit thirty years ago.

He was hospitalised last week after complaining of severe chest pains.

Nimoy had millions of fans around the world for his portrayal of the coldly logical half-Vulcan, half-human Star Fleet officer Commander Spock.

He landed the iconic role for the rejected pilot ‘The Cage’ in 1964. Unusually, NBC requested a second pilot, with Spock the only character retained.

The show made it to air in 1966 and Nimoy, along with co-star William Shatner (Captain Kirk), became one of the biggest stars on US TV, earning three Emmy nominations.

Source: Press Release