Sad news for Star Trek fans: Actress Nichelle Nichols, best known for her role as Lieutenant Uhura, has passed away at the age of 89. Nichols is best known for a Star Trek episode in which she became the first black woman on US television to kiss a white man.
Another significant member of the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series has begun her final journey: On the night of August 30th, 2022, actress Grace Dell “Nichelle” Nichols passed away at the age of 89 surrounded by her family. Nichols was best known as a member of the crew of the Starship Enterprise, where she played officer Lieutenant Nyota Uhura alongside Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner.
William Shatner offers his condolences
Kyle Johnson, Nichols’ son, announced the sad news of the actress’ death via her Instagram account. He wrote: “I regret to report that a great star in the firmament no longer shines for us as it did for many years. Last night my mother, Nichelle Nichols, passed away of natural causes. However, like the ancient galaxies we are now seeing for the first time, their light will remain for us and for future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration from.“
Nichols played her role as Lieutenant Uhura between 1966 and 1969 and is considered one of the pioneers for equal rights for black women on television. Her kiss with William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk made film history because it was the first such token of love between black and white on US TV.
Shatner was correspondingly dismayed at the news of the actress’ death. He wrote on Twitter what a beautiful woman and admirable figure she was and how much she helped break down social boundaries. By the way, Nichols played one of her last roles in the series “Heroes” as Nana Dawson.
Source: Mirror online
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