William Shatner has led tributes to Leonard Nimoy.

Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy

The 'Star Trek' actor says he loved his late co-star, who died at his home in Los Angeles today (27.02.15) as a result of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, "like a brother."

The 83-year-old star, who played the original Captain James T. Kirk in the second 'Star Trek' pilot, shared a photo of his good friend, who played Mr. Spock for 40 years, on Instagram, with the caption: "I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humour, his talent, and his capacity to love."

George Takei, who asked his fans to pray for Leonard after he was hospitalised earlier this week, shared his sorrow on Facebook, writing: "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."

The legendary star's successor Zachary Quinto, who took over the Spock role in the reboot films in 2013, posted a touching tribute on his social media sites, writing: "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."

A large number of other stars also honoured the late actor on Twitter, including 'Harry Potter' author J.K. Rowling, Boy George, 'Seinfeld' star Jason Alexander, 'Family Guy' creator Seth MacFarlane, Roseanne Barr and Tom Hanks, who tweeted: "Leonard Nimoy was more than Mr. Spock. But Mr. Spock is his gift to us all. Live long and prosper. HANX (sic)."

While NASA posted an old photograph of the late actor standing before the space shuttle Enterprise in 1976, with the caption: "RIP Leonard Nimoy. So many of us at NASA were inspired by Star Trek. Boldly go... "

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