The sad news were announsed by her son Kyle Johnson on her official social media channels.

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.
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Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, who passed away 30 years ago October 24, 1991. Insisted that the crew of the USS Enterprise come from many diverse backgrounds. Nichols was one of the first Black women ever to play a main cast role on a television series, which seems obvious nowadays, but in 1966 it was certainly not. Her character played the Enterprise’s communications officer with expertise in linguistics.

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