Star Trek’s legendary Uhura actress, Nichelle Nichols, has passed away at age 89 due to natural causes, announced in an Instagram post by her son.
Star Trek‘s Uhura actress, Nichelle Nichols, has passed away at age 89. Star Trek: The Original Series first premiered on September 8, 1966, and ran for three seasons. The Original Series began what would become a massive Star Trek franchise, which now boasts nine television series and 13 films, as well as several books and video games. Nichols was one of the first Black women to be featured in a major television series, and her portrayal of Uhura has inspired generations of women to pursue STEM careers.
Nichols played Uhura for all three seasons of The Original Series, and would go on to appear in six Star Trek films as well. While Nichols originally intended to leave The Original Series early on to pursue a career on Broadway, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is credited with encouraging her to stay in the series, as she was a vital role model for Black children and young women all across the world. Nichols recalls King telling her that “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 can go to space, who are professors, lawyers.”
Today, a post on Nichols‘ official Instagram page from her son, Kyle, announced that Nichols has passed at age 89. The post says that Nichols passed away from natural causes, and that she was “a model for us all.”
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Source: Nichelle Nichols’ Official Instagram
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