Leonard Nimoy, who earned a place in the hearts of millions of genre fans for his timeless portrayal of Spock in Star Trek, has died in Los Angeles from pulmonary disease. He was 83.

Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to a barbershop owner and a housewife. He relocated to California to join the Pasadena Playhouse and secured his first film role in 1951’s Queen For A Day.

He took on many roles in his career including the Mission: Impossible TV series in the 1970s, but will be best remembered for Spock, which he first portrayed in the Star Trek pilot in 1965.

Nimoy stayed on the Starship Enterprise for three seasons until 1969 and would reprise the role of the profoundly logical Vulcan seven times on the large screen including a cameo in JJ Abrams’ 2009 reboot.

Nimoy also directed Star Trek III: The Search For Spock in 1984, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home two years later and 3 Men And A Baby in 1987,

The actor confirmed he had lung cancer in January 2014. His final tweet dated February 22 read: “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP.” The sign-off stands for ‘Live long and prosper’, the famous phrase used by Spock.

“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,” read an excerpt from a tribute statement by Bob and David Gersh of Nimoy’s longtime representatives The Gersh Agency.

Nimoy is survived by his wife Susan Bay Nimoy, who confirmed the news of Nimoy’s death to The New York Times, his children Adam and Julie, six grandchidlren and one great-grandchild.