Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols dies at 89

‘Star Trek: The Original Series’ star Nichelle Nichols, known for her iconic and historic role as Nyota Uhura, passes away at the age of 89. It was confirmed by her son Kyle Johnson on the actor’s official Instagram that Nichols died of natural causes in her home on Saturday, July 30. Johnson shared a photo of Nichols’ star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which she was awarded in 1992.

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

He 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.” Nichols’ services will be held for family and close friends.

Nichols was born on Dec. 28, 1932, in Robbins, Illinois. Before her work on Star Trek, Nichols performed on the stage, making her acting debut in the 1961 musical Kicks & Co. by Oscar Brown. She’d go on to act, model and even sing for musicians like Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. Nichols became a cultural icon for her role as Lt. Nyota Uhura in Star Trek: The Original Series as one of the first black women to have a starring role in a major television series. The series first aired in 1966 and ran for three seasons, and Nichols would go on to portray the character in six subsequent movies with the rest of the original television cast.

Following Star Trek’s cancellation, Nichols founded Women In Motion, Inc. in 1977 as part of her campaign to bring diversity to NASA, inevitably helping to recruit thousands of women and minorities to the space agency. Among those recruits was Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut and Guion Bluford, the first African-American astronaut. In 2021, a documentary titled Woman in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek and the Remaking of NASA was released, which explored Nichols’ efforts to diversify NASA. This was an effort the actor continued until 2015, which was the same year she suffered a mild stroke.

In recent years, Nichols was the center of a three-way legal battle over who would be her conservator. The three parties include her son, Johnson, who became her conservator in 2018, her former manager, Gilbert Bell, and her friend Angelique Fawcette.