Nichelle Nichols, best known for playing Nyota Uhura (most commonly just "Uhura") on Star Trek: The Original Series, has passed away at age 89.
In a message posted to Facebook, her son posted this note:
Sunday, 31 July 2022 Friends, Fans, Colleagues, World
I regret to inform you that a great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it has for so many years.
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.
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. Her services will be for family members and the closest of her friends and we request that her and our privacy be respected.
Live Long and Prosper,
Kyle Johnson
Nichelle was known for being one of the first Black women on TV as her own person, and had the first interracial kiss on television. At one point, after deciding to resign from her Star Trek role, she stayed at after the urging of Martin Luther King Jr., who convinced her that it was important to the world to stay on.
To contrast Kyle's "Live Long and Prosper", I would say "We grieve with thee."
