Shatner Can't Attend Leonard Nimoy's Funeral

The world is still reeling from the loss of Leonard Nimoy, who passed away in his home on Friday at the age of 83. One of the most touching tributes of the late, great Spock was from his longtime friend, William Shatner, who said that he "loved Nimoy like a brother." Unfortunately, though, Shatner tweeted on Saturday that he wouldn't be able to attend Nimoy's funeral because of a commitment to a charity event in Florida. "I agreed to appear at the Red Cross Ball tonight. Leonard's funeral is tomorrow. I can't make it back in time," Nimoy's Star Trek co-star tweeted. Instead, though, Shatner suggested that fans "meet" on Twitter to celebrate Nimoy's life, and on Sunday morning, he responded to fan's tweets with questions about what it meant to be friends with the kind, compassionate Nimoy.

Shatner's initial tweet was a response to criticism he faced after first announcing that he wouldn't be able to make it to Nimoy's funeral; the New York Daily News released their cover for Monday's edition, calling Shatner "Captain Jerk" (they love their puns) for going to the Red Cross event instead of to Nimoy's memorial. Shatner faced it head on, posting a link to the Daily News cover, saying: "Let's discuss it." He clarified that he regretted so much that he couldn't attend, but that his daughters Melanie and Lisabeth will be there in his absence. He was definitely saddened, saying: "I feel really awful."

Proposing that fans should meet on Twitter to celebrate Nimoy's life, Shatner spent Sunday morning answering all kinds of questions about what it was like to know the man behind Spock, saying that he was a "precious gem of a man" and "the best father." When asked by a Twitter user if Nimoy was anything like Spock in real life, Shatner responded: "He was serious, practical but unlike Spock very warm and loving." You can see of all the touching answers at Shatner's Twitter or using the hashtag #LeonardNimoy.