adminSTAR Trek legend Leonard Nimoy has revealed he has a serious lung disease – thirty years after he quit smoking. The 82-year-old actor, famous for playing the sci-fi show’s Dr Spock, revealed his diagnosis on twitter and urged smokers to give up. Signing off his message with an abbreviation of Dr Spock’s “Live Long and Prosper” catchphrase, he said: “I quit smoking 30 years ago. Not soon enough. I have COPD. Grandpa says, quit now!! LLAP”
COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, which obstructs sufferers’ breathing as their airways narrow.
Symptoms of the disease, which is often caused by smoking and gets worse over time, include breathlessness, persistent coughing and frequent chest infections.
Last week the actor cut a frail figure as he was pictured being wheeled through JFK airport using an oxygen cylinder.
But his failing health did not stop him jetting off for a holiday on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.
Leonard officially retired in 2010 after abdominal surgery, but has since made a number of TV and film comebacks.
In 2012, he finished a successful stint playing the character Dr William Bell on the hit science fiction thriller Fringe.
He has also launched a recent Twitter campaign urging fans to stand up against online bullies. – Mirror
Online Reporter