Nichelle Nichols, ‘Star Trek’ icon who played Lieutenant Uhura, dies at 89
Trailblazer Nichelle Nichols, who played “Star Trek” communications officer Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the 1960s TV show and shared one of television’s first interracial kisses with William Shatner, has died at 89.
Her son, Kyle Johnson, announced her death in a statement posted on her Facebook page. Family friend Sky Conway confirmed to USA TODAY that Nichols died Saturday evening in Silver City, New Mexico, calling her “truly transformational” and “an amazing person.”
“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 Facebook. “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.
