Nichelle Nichols dead at 89: Star Trek icon who played Lieutenant Uhura passes away, son announces

STAR TREK actress, Nichelle Nichols, has passed away at age 89.

The groundbreaking actress played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura on Star Trek: The Original Series from 1966 to 1969.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Kyle Johnson, Nichelle’s son, said:

“Friends, Fans, Colleagues, World.

“I regret to inform you that a great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it has for so many years.

“Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Her light however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration.

Her acting career lasted for over 40 years. One of the most historic moments in both her career and for television as a whole, was her on-screen kiss with William Shatner on November 22, 1968.

It was the first interracial kiss on television.

In Plato’s Stepchildren [Season 3, Episode 10] Uhura and Captain Kirk  kissed.

She made great strides in the representation of woman of color in not only television but in outer space.

After her time on Star Trek, Nichelle became a spokeswoman for NASA.

Nichelle was awarded the NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal in 2021 for inspiring and recruiting diverse communities to join their space programs.

She helped recruit Sally Ride and Frederick Gregory, according to the .

In an interview with the Archive of American Television, Nichelle recalled a life-changing moment with a fan.

Nichelle was about to quit Star Trek after the first season because she was offered a role in a play and dreamed of being on Broadway.

She even handed in her letter of resignation to the creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry which he rejected until she thought about it for a few more days.

Then a fan, Dr. Martin King Jr. said to her: “You cannot, you cannot. Don’t you understand what this man has achieved?”

“For the first time on television, we will be seen as we should be seen every day – as intelligent, quality, beautiful people who can sing dance and who can go into space,”

“Who can be lawyers, who can be teachers, who can be professors, who we are in this day and yet you don’t see it on television until now.”

“If you leave Nichelle, Gene Roddenberry has opened a door for the world to see us.

“If you leave that door can be closed because you see your role is not a black role and it’s not a female role. He can fill it with anything including an alien.”

Dr. King persuaded her to stay on the show and continue to be a role model.

Nichelle was also a talented singer, producing two albums Down to Earth in 1967 and Out of This World in 1991.

As Nichelle got older, she developed some health issues.

She had a mild stroke in 2015 and then was diagnosed with dementia in 2018.

Since 2018, Nichelle has been under a conservatorship, petitioned by her son, after her former manager, Gilbert Bell, was accused of financially abusing Nichelle.

Her son’s Instagram statement continued: “Hers was a life well lived and as such a model for us all.

“I, and the rest of our family, would appreciate your patience and forbearance as we grieve her loss until we can recover sufficiently to speak further.

“Her services will be for family members and the closest of her friends and we request that her and our privacy be respected.”

He concluded by saying: “Live Long and Prosper.”