Leonard 'Spock' Nimoy mourned ... on Earth and in space

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former "Star Trek" co-star William Shatner is among those mourning the death of Leonard Nimoy, who played the half-Vulcan, half-human Mr. Spock on the TV series and in several movies.

Shatner says, "We will all miss his humor, his talent and his capacity to love. I loved him like a brother."

Nimoy's son says the actor died Friday of obstructive pulmonary disease at his Los Angeles home. He was 83.

From the International Space Station, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti tweeted, "Live Long and Prosper, Mr. Spock" -- invoking the Vulcan motto.

Aboard the Starship Enterprise, Spock was the calm counterpoint to William Shatner's often-emotional Captain Kirk. Once the series ended, he initially tried to distance himself from the role, but later came to embrace it.

He appeared in the first six Star Trek films, and directed two of them -- and guest-starred as an older version of himself in some episodes of the show's spinoff TV series, and in a later movie version.

As he sought to analyze the popularity of Spock, Nimoy once told an interviewer that people "recognize in themselves this wish that they could be logical and avoid the pain of anger and confrontation."

Nimoy began his acting career in the early '50s, appearing in multiple science fiction movies. He rose to fame in the '60s as Mr. Spock, the half-Vulcan, half human, science officer on USS Enterprise. He later went on to direct two Star Trek films, and the film Three Men and a Baby.

Nimoy last tweeted four days ago, tagging his tweet with the iconic Spock saying, "Live Long and Prosper."

His co-stars in the Star Trek series have taken to twitter to remember their friend.

This story will be updated as more info becomes available.