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Pneumonia kills ‘Star Trek’ actor Doohan at 85

James Doohan, who played the engineer on the original cult “Star Trek” TV series and movies and inspired the catch phrase “Beam me up, Scotty,” left behind one final wish – to return to space.

Doohan, 85, told relatives before his death yesterday that he wanted his ashes blasted into space, where he would join the late “Star Trek” series creator Gene Roddenberry, whose remains were launched six years after his death in 1991.

“He’ll be there with his buddy, which is wonderful,” Los Angeles agent and longtime friend Steve Stevens said.

Doohan died yesterday morning at his Redmond, Wash., home with his wife of 31 years, Wende, at his side, Stevens said. The cause of death was pneumonia and Alzheimer’s disease, he said.

Houston-based Space Services Inc., which specializes in space memorials, plans to send a few grams of Doohan’s ashes, along with 125 others, aboard a rocket later this year. The remains, which will be sealed in aluminum capsules, will be in orbit until they burn up upon re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. [more]

‘Bye, Scotty. :cry:

A very nice article and some pictures of Doohan can be found on StarTrek.com’s profile page.