RIP to Jeffery Hunter the actor who played the original Christopher Pike ... I'm actually watching The Original Series with my wife (which is a small miracle) and as we watch, we research and look up little facts and details about the show. Jeffery Hunter at the time was a handsome leading man with a great career in film and television. He had a stunt accident in 1969 which injured him and led to his death shortly after, at the age of 42 - five years after making his appearance as the first Star Trek captain in 1964. He would never know his important place in Star Trek fandom almost 60 years later.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Hunter