Actress and Singer Nichelle Nichols,  the famous officer Lt. Uhura of Star Trek, has died at 89

Kyle Johnson, her son shared the news on his official facebook page, “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,”

Nichelle Nichols, was renowned for breaking barriers for black women in Hollywood when she excellently played the character of Lt. Nyota Uhura

Nichols portrayed communications officer Lt. Nyota Uhura in the "Star Trek" the original TV series and many of its film offshoots

When "Star Trek" began in 1966, Nichols was a television rarity: a Black woman in a notable role on a prime-time television series. There had been African-American women on TV before, but they often played domestic workers and had small roles; Nichols' Uhura was an integral part of the multicultural "Star Trek" crew

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. called it "the first non-stereotypical role portrayed by a Black woman in television history."

Nichols is widely known for participating in one of the first interracial kisses on US television when her character kissed James T. Kirk, portrayed by White Canadian actor William Shatner

Nichols said in 1992 when a Star Trek exhibit was on view at the Smithsonian Institution, “I think many people took it into their hearts … that what was being said on TV at that time was a reason to celebrate,”

In an interview with CNN in 2014, Nichols said the kiss scene "changed television forever, and it also changed the way people looked at one another."

Nichols was a regular at Star Trek conventions and events into her 80s, but her schedule became limited starting in 2018 when her son announced that she was suffering from advanced dementia.

Credits : Instagram @nichellenicholsofficial