‘Star Trek’ actress Nichelle Nichols dies at 89, son says

by Addy Bink, Nexstar Media Wire - 07/31/22 3:18 PM ET

(NEXSTAR) – Nichelle Nichols, well known for her role as Nyota Uhura in “Star Trek: The Original Series,” has died at the age of 89, her son announced on Sunday.

Her son Kyle Johnson said Nichols died Saturday in Silver City, New Mexico.

“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 on Nichols’ Facebook page. “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.”

Nichols was born in Robbins, Illinois, in 1932, according to her IMDb page. Legendary composer Duke Ellington “discovered” Nichols and helped her become a singer and dancer. She later turned to acting, and joined Gene Roddenberry’s “Star Trek,” where she played Lt. Uhura from 1966 to 1969.

She often recalled how the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a fan of the show and praised her role and personally encouraged her to stay with the series.

She was one of the first African American actresses to play a role that was treated the same as characters of another race, IMDb says. Nichols also shared the first on-screen kiss between a Black female and white male with “Star Trek” costar William Shatner.

After her time on “Star Trek,” Nichols went on to become a spokesperson for NASA, where she “helped recruit and inspire a new generation of fearless astronauts,” her website reads.

Members of the original cast of the television program “Star Trek” pose at a 20th birthday celebration on the sound stages where the fourth Star Trek movie was filmed in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sept. 9, 1986. Standing from left are, Walter Koenig, Maiel Barrett, William Shatner, Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Actress Nichelle Nichols, Uhura of Star Trek, expresses her support to striking members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) outside the gates of Paramount Pictures studios in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 10, 2007. At left is writer/producer David Avallone. The Hollywood strike is rewriting the holidays for idled workers entering a sixth week. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
FILE- In this Dec. 28, 1988, file photo shows members of the “Star Trek” crew, from left, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy, and Nichelle Nichols, toast the newest “Star Trek” film during a news conference at Paramount Studios. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith,File)
In this photo taken Wednesday, May 18, 2016, a foam finger in the shape of the Vulcan salute is displayed along with a photo of President Barack Obama and actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Nyota Uhura in “Star Trek,” in a display for the exhibit, “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds” for a 50th anniversary celebration of the franchise at the EMP Museum, in Seattle. The exhibit opens on Saturday. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Nichelle Nichols, the actress who portrayed Lt. Uhura on the 1960s televesion series “Star Trek,” speaks after the Space Shuttle Endeavour lands aboard a NASA Boeing 747, at the conclusion of its last flight at Los Angeles International Airport Friday, Sept. 21, 2012. In a few weeks Endeavour will be towed through city streets to its new home at the California Science Center in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Sonequa Martin-Green, center, a cast member in “Star Trek: Discovery,” poses with original “Star Trek” cast members Nichelle Nichols, left, and William Shatner at the premiere of the new television series on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Her advocacy was impactful for some. Formerly a NASA deputy administrator, Frederick Gregory, now 81, told the Associated Press he once saw an advertisement in which Nichols said “I want you to apply for the NASA program.”

“She was talking to me,” he recounted. The U.S. Air Force pilot would apply and later become the first African American shuttle pilot.

Nichols has been credited for bringing in more than 8,000 applications when she signed on to help NASA recruit more women and people of color. Among those applicants were Sally Ride, the first woman from America to go to space, and Guion Stewart Bluford Jr., the first African American in space, according to USA Today.

More recently, she had a recurring role on television’s “Heroes,” playing the great-aunt of a young boy with mystical powers.

In 2015, Nichols suffered a stroke. Three years later, she was diagnosed with dementia.

Johnson said services will be for family members and her closest friends.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tags Martin Luther King Jr. Nichelle Nichols