DEFOREST KELLEY, WHO PLAYED CRUSTY DR. MCCOY IN `STAR TREK,' DIES AT 79.

Byline: Associated Press 

DeForest Kelley, who as crusty Dr. Leonard ``Bones'' H. McCoy on ``Star Trek'' brought a country flavor to outer space, died Friday, hospital officials said. He was 79.

Kelley died at 12:15 p.m. after an extended illness, said Carol Pfannkuche, spokeswoman for the Motion Picture and Television Country Home and Hospital, a retirement facility in Woodland Hills.

``He represented humanity and it fitted him well,'' said Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr. Spock on the science fiction saga. ``He was a decent, loving, caring partner and will be deeply missed.''

The verbal sparing, love-hate relationship between McCoy's all-too-human character and Spock's cold logic provided grist for many of the lighthearted moments in the series and ``Star Trek'' movies.

Flowers were being placed on Kelley's Walk of Fame star, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said.

His Dr. McCoy was one of the colorful crew of 23rd-century space travelers who helped make the original ``Star Trek'' television series a lasting cult favorite, although the program aired only from 1966-69, on NBC.

``Despite the character he played, he was a very sweet, shy and gentle man,'' said George Takei, 62, who played Capt. Sulu in the original series and six of the movies.

Takei, who affectionately referred to Kelley as `D', spoke to his friend regularly and said he will be missed.

It was Bones' incessant complaining that helped to round out the core characters of the original cast composed of Capt. Kirk, Spock and chief engineer Scotty.

``I'm just a country doctor!'' McCoy would exclaim when called on to cope with the other-worldly illnesses and calamities that beset the USS Enterprise, but he would always come through.

Bones hardly went an episode without arguing with Spock or complaining. ``No. I'm a doctor, not a mechanic,'' ``I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer,'' ``I'm a doctor, not an escalator,'' and ``What am I? A doctor or a moon shuttle conductor?''

Despite the technology of ``Star Trek's'' 23rd century, the doctor reluctantly used the transporter machine that beamed crew members between the ship and planets. ``Crazy way to travel, spreading a man's molecules all over the universe,'' Bones would say.

The ``Star Trek'' phenomenon lived on in feature films starring William Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk and in a series of TV and movie spin-offs, including ``Star Trek: The Next Generation,'' ``Star Trek: Voyager'' and ``Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.''

Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura, called Kelley a true gentleman.

``He leaves a void which cannot be filled. I shall miss him very, very much,'' Nichols said in a statement.

Kelley is survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Carolyn. She was hospitalized at the Motion Picture facility with a broken leg and had been in the room next to her husband, Lyles said.

Funeral plans were not announced, but a memorial service will be held at Paramount.