William Shatner won’t be at Leonard Nimoy’s funeral due to charity engagement

William Shatner has said he feels “really awful” he will be unable to attend Sunday’s funeral of fellow Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy, who died on Friday aged 83. The actor, who played Captain Kirk in the cult sci-fi series, said on Saturday he could not make the service because he already had plans to appear at a Red Cross ball in Florida. “I feel really awful,” the 83-year-old tweeted.

Here I am doing charity work and one of my dearest friends is being buried.

William Shatner on Twitter

Shatner led tributes to Nimoy a day earlier, saying he had loved his co-star “like a brother”. Nimoy was beloved for his portrayal of pointy-eared Mr Spock, the half-Vulcan, Starship Enterprise second-in-command to Shatner’s Kirk. President Barack Obama also paid warm tribute to the star, who passed away at his Los Angeles home after a battle with lung disease. “Long before being nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy,” said the President.

Celebrity Leonard Nimoy