“Upon being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and shortly before his death on Feb. 27, 2015, actor Leonard Nimoy tweeted, “Not soon enough.” He was referring to his decision to quit smoking. Nimoy, made famous by playing Spock in Star Trek, had quit 30 years before, but the damage to his lungs had already been done. Nimoy told music artist Pharrell Williams last year in an interview, “I flunked chemistry in high school.” So, perhaps the elder movie star didn’t fully grasp the long-term harmful effects of smoking in his younger days. He spent the final year of his life urging people to benefit from his mistakes and stop smoking now, before it’s too late. The internationally beloved actor was 82 years old.”

Lung Institute