'Captain Jerk!': Shatner Receives Harsh Criticism After Being Unable To Attend Nimoy's Funeral
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Actor William Shatner received harsh criticism after being unable to attend his close friend and co-star's funeral over the weekend.
A private funeral for Leonard Nimoy was held at 9 a.m. Sunday in Los Angeles after the "Star Trek" star died on Friday of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The 83-year-old, who played Captain Kirk alongside Nimoy's character Mr. Spock, publicly announced on Saturday he would be unable to attend the funeral due to a pre-scheduled charity event in Florida.
Overnight, he received strong criticism, including a New York Daily Headline calling him a "Captain Jerk!"
Shatner explained his two daughters would be attending the funeral and defended his decision to attend the Red Cross fundraiser.
Shatner went on to respond to questions from fans.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Shatner arrived in Los Angeles just after the funeral ended. He then spent some time on Twitter remembering his dear friend.
He concluded the Q&A session with, "I do want to thank everyone for coming here and sharing their memories and celebrating the life of #LeonardNimoy LLAP! MBB."