As a science fiction writer, I guess I should say a few words about Leonard Nimoy.  Star Trek was a pretty cheesy show, but the character of Spock was inspired, and Nimoy’s portrayal of him was the best thing about the show.  There can’t really be a second act after that, but Nimoy seemed to conduct the rest of his career with dignity.

In particular, I used to like his opening narration for IMAX movies at Boston’s Museum of Science.  He grew up in the West End, not far from the museum, so it was a great choice. (He attended high school at Boston English; decades after him I attended Boston Latin, across the street from English on Avenue Louis Pasteur.  We looked down on the English kids because we were jerks.)

Nimoy isn’t remembered for his singing, but what the heck, here he is doing his best to get through “Proud Mary”:

Fine, he’s no Tina Turner, I get it, but at least he’s better than William Shatner attempting, say, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” from his immortal album “The Transformed Man”:

The New York Times obit of Nimoy refers to these as “marvelously dreadful period artifacts,” which sounds about right.

Here is my friend Jeff Carver’s lovely tribute to Nimoy.