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Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in the "Star Trek" series, and William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk, wave on stage in 2004. Nimoy died at age 83 on Friday. Reuters

Celebrities joined "Star Trek" fans on Twitter Friday to mourn and remember Leonard Nimoy. The actor, famous for his role as Mr. Spock, died Friday morning in Los Angeles of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to the New York Times. He was 83.

Nimoy's colleagues took to Twitter earlier this week when he was hospitalized. William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk on "Star Trek," and George Takei, who played Sulu, posted messages of support. Shatner thanked fans for their outpouring of sympathy and wrote that he joined "the chorus of well wishers for a quick recovery." Takei echoed the statement, according to TrekNews.net.

On Friday afternoon, Shatner tweeted "I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent and his capacity to love." Takei posted on Facebook: "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."

Other science-fiction stars memorialized him en masse, quoting Mr. Spock and writing about how he changed their lives. See below:

Nimoy began making friends in the public sphere when he entered the show business in the 1950s. He started out with small roles in movies and TV shows like "Perry Mason," but it wasn't enough for a living -- he delivered newspapers to supplement his paychecks. In the mid-60s, he was cast as Mr. Spock, a half-Vulcan, half-human officer aboard the USS Enterprise. His popularity skyrocketed, affording him the opportunities to direct "Three Men and a Baby," write two autobiographies and release five albums. He even did a voiceover for the sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" and appeared in Bruno Mars' music video for "The Lazy Song."

Over the years, Nimoy became a folk hero, according to the New York Times, and his impact on entertainment was apparent Friday. He influenced thousands of celebrities in all arenas, many of whom recognized him on social media. Here are a few of our favorite messages in memoriam:

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