Leonard Nimoy, the legendary actor known around the world as the Vulcan Mr. Spock in the Star Trek universe, died this morning at his home in Los Angeles, according to the NY Times. He was 83.

The actor had revealed last year that after years of smoking he had been diagnosed with COPD, a progressive lung disease that affects one’s ability to breathe, and was hospitalized at UCLA Medical Center for chest pains on Thursday, February 19, 2015, after a call to 911 was placed.

The NY Times reports that Nimoy’s wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed her husband’s death, revealing the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Gary Owens, who had one of the most memorable baritone voices in entertainment history and who used that voice in a myriad of different scenarios, ranging from being the announcer on the 1960s smash TV show Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In to the voice of Space Ghost, died on Thursday, February 12, 2015, at his home in Los Angeles, CA, according to CNN. He was 80. The cause of death is complications of Type 2 Diabetes, a condition that the entertainer had had since he was a child.

Owens, with his distinctive look — mustachioed with glasses, almost like a Stan Lee in many ways — never seemed to take himself seriously with his fun, charming, and gregarious manner. Yet when his voice inflections boomed through the airwaves, he sounded like he was the most serious man in the room. Reading manically wacky one-liners and joke after joke on Laugh-In (which was a number one show for multiple seasons on NBC during the late 1960s) with a deadpan and instantly memorable style, Owens had the rare quality, like a Don Pardo, of an instantly recognizable voice, known by the masses coast-to-coast, yet not many people knew what he looked like. During Laugh-In, he was on camera for the most part, always appearing hilariously urgent in his verbal diction, hand cupped to ear and dressed in the manner of a respected newsman, usually with three-piece suits and an air of professionalism. It all acted as perfect counterpoint to the inanity Laugh-In presented.

Edgar Froese, who helped pioneer what was to be known as Kraut Rock, which utilized rock elements with electronic sounds, most notably in Tangerine Dream, died on January 20, 2015, of a pulmonary embolism. The musician was in Vienna, Austria, when he died suddenly, according to a post on the Tangerine Dream Facebook page. He was 70.

Starting in 1967, Tangerine Dream was one of the most prolific and versatile bands that ever existed. With Froese as the only constant member through over 100 albums — many which used high amounts of synthesizers most notably the Moog, which had been dabbled with by various artists prior (The Monkees, Wendy Carlos) — Tangerine Dream became one of the leaders of the aforementioned Kraut Rock genre, and they shared success side-by-side with other legendary bands of that ilk like Kraftwerk and Can. Under the aegis of Froese, the band found its peak in the mid 1970s, having much success in the UK. Elsewhere, the band was revered in cult circles, something it remains to this day. In fact, the band was a curio at best to a lot of people, and was immortalized in Gonzo critic Lester Bangs’ unforgettable cough syrup-soaked wild bender piece, “I Saw God and Or Tangerine Dream.” In the piece, which originally ran in Creem magazine back in 1973, Bangs waxes while speeding on Robitussin about the visual and aural joys of attending a Tangerine Dream light show.

Former Green Jelly guitarist and producer CJ Buscaglia (aka Jesus Quisp) passed away Friday, January 16, 2015, in his hometown of Buffalo, NY. He was 51.

Originally named Green Jello, Green Jelly started out in Buffalo with the intent of being “the world’s worst band.” After relocating to Hollywood, they convinced Zoo Records to advance them $50,000 to record the world’s first video-only album. The resulting product was 1992’s Cereal Killer. The “album” would become a multi-platinum phenomenon on the strength of the hugely successful MTV staple song “Three Little Pigs.” (watch the video for the song here below). The band’s success would prompt the Kraft Foods Corporation to sue the band over trademark infringement by their use of the Jello brand name. The name of the band was changed in print to Green Jelly, but band members insisted that it was still pronounced exactly as before. On the bright side, Joey Ramone would later name Green Jello as the worst band to ever open for The Ramones, thus validating their “worst band in the world” mission. The height of Green Jello’s success was short lived and Buscaglia, who had produced Cereal Killer, moved on to other projects.

Legendary Runaways producer and Los Angeles rock legend Kim Fowley died today after a long battle with cancer, although no official cause of death has been released at this time, according to Rolling Stone. He was 75.

The son of actors, the Los Angeles, CA-born Fowley began his career in the music business in 1959 and spent the 1960s working with acts such as Paul Revere and the Raiders and Gene Vincent. His career as a solo artist yielded a minor hit when his third LP, 1968’s Outrageous, broke Billboard’s Top 200. Many credited Fowley with the advent of the raised lighter concert salute after he encouraged the crowd to do it while MCing John Lennon’s Toronto Rock and Roll Revival performance in 1969.