Since STar Trek was a big inspiration to Futurama, this is a sad day
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LOS ANGELES - James Doohan, the burly chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" TV series and movies who responded to the command "Beam me up, Scotty," died Wednesday. He was 85.

Doohan died at 5:30 a.m. at his Redmond, Wash., home with his wife of 28 years, Wende, at his side, Los Angeles agent and longtime friend Steve Stevens said. The cause of death was pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease, he said.

Doohan had said farewell to public life in August 2004, a few months after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

The Canadian-born Doohan was enjoying a busy career as a character actor when he auditioned for a role as an engineer in a new space adventure on NBC in 1966. A master of dialects from his early years in radio, he tried seven different accents.

"The producers asked me which one I preferred," Doohan recalled 30 years later. "I believed the Scot voice was the most commanding. So I told them, 'If this character is going to be an engineer, you'd better make him a Scotsman.'"

The series, which starred William Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as the enigmatic Mr. Spock, attracted an enthusiastic following of science fiction fans, especially among teenagers and children, but not enough ratings power. NBC canceled it after three seasons.

When the series ended in 1969, Doohan found himself typecast as Montgomery Scott, the canny engineer with a burr in his voice. In 1973, he complained to his dentist, who advised him: "Jimmy, you're going to be Scotty long after you're dead. If I were you, I'd go with the flow."

"I took his advice," said Doohan, "and since then everything's been just lovely."
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Originally posted by aslate:
EDIT: Someone had to do the shitty pun!

He's dead, Jim? 

Sad news though.

It's hardly a shock seeing as we knew he had nearly every disease under the sun.

But still, a sincere goodbye to a war hero and one of the 20th century's most recognised actors.

I'm gonna get through some of the inevitable jokes:

1. Did he get beamed up?/Who beamed him up?

2. His body just couldn't take much more of it...

3. He's dead, Jim?

I had no idea he was in WWII, it was interesting to read the article.

As a fan of Star Trek, and a fellow Northwesterner, I would like to give my condolences to his family and say: We'll miss you "Scotty", in that great big engine room in the sky.

"Here's to ya, lad"
I got to meet Mr. Doohan around ten or twelve years ago or so at the Dewar's Bagpipe Festival at the Knitting Factory in NYC. It was a friend of mine
who runs a promotions company who arranged the festival and got Scotty to MC the first of two nights.
Well, we got to sit around drinking free scotch with Mr. Doohan all night.
He was so plastered, he actually turned into Scotty before our eyes.
When it came time for him to introduce the first band, he came up onstage, and said in that famous brogue - "No mur scotch fer Doo'an".
About three and a half years ago (and after his stroke) The Lady Skusting and I saw him at a convention in New York. He was in a wheelchair and signing
things very slowly, and barely looking up at people.
When we got to the table, I said "I was at the Bagpipe Festival".
He looked up, his eyes went wide, he gave a huge grin and said -
"We're still finishing off the free scotch we got that night!"
Godspeed Chief!
        

Very sad to hear. God speed. 

Aw, that is a shame.  Well, sounds like he had a pretty good life.  He'll be missed.

A sad day for all. That one episode with the people in the orbs, he did great as Scotty. Very said day. Too bad everyone took the Star Trek jokes.