‘Star Trek’: William Shatner Remembers Leonard Nimoy on Anniversary of His Death

Beloved Star Trek star Leonard Nimoy died four years ago today. Nimoy’s friend and co-star, William Shatner, took time out to remember his friend.

On Instagram, Shatner shared a photo of himself with Nimoy.

Take a look below.

Nimoy died in 2015 from complications related to COPD.

Fans may remember there being some controversy surrounding Nimoy‘s funeral when Shatner did not attend the ceremony. Shatner addressed his absence in his latest memoir, Live Long And…What I Learned Along the Way.

Shatner originally said he did not attend the funeral because he had a Red Cross fundraising event to attend, which caused a scheduling conflict. In the book, he admits that he felt he may not be welcome at the funeral since his once-close friendship with Nimoy had grown cold towards the end of Nimoy’s life.

“It was made clear to me that I was not welcome at his funeral,” Shatner writes. “That was painful. I had an easy excuse.

“My closest friend was Leonard Nimoy. We were born four days apart and raised in Orthodox Jewish homes. We shared so much throughout our careers. I loved Leonard, and he used to refer to me as his brother. Yet at the end of his life and for reasons I still don’t know, he was not my friend. I would call him and he wouldn’t answer the phone or return any messages. He died and I didn’t feel welcome at his funeral.”

In Shatner’s 2016 book Leonard, which focused on his relationship with Nimoy, Shatner said he hadn’t spoken to Nimoy for five years before his death. This was after Shatner filmed Nimoy without permission for the Star Trek documentary The Captains.

“I thought he was kidding,” Shatner said of Nimoy’s refusal to appear in the film. “It was such a small thing.”

But five years passed and Nimoy and Shatner never reconciled. Based on Shatner’s latest memoir, it seems he may still believe that the footage used in the documentary was too small of a thing to be the source of that rift. Now he is left to wonder what the real root of the problem was.

How are you remembering Leonard Nimoy today? Let us know in the comments section.

Live Long And…What I Learned Along the Way by William Shatner is available now. Star Trek: The Original Series is available to stream on Netflix and on CBS All Access.

—–

Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? Check it out by clicking here or listen below.

In this latest episode, we talk about the newest Detective Pikachu trailer (and the appearance of Mewtwo!), the Oscars, and so much more! Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode!