Star Trek fans were shocked to learn that Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura in the original series and films of the franchise, died on July 30.
A few months after another Star Trek actor, Leonard Nimoy, died, Nichelle also left the earth.
Nichols died of old age after living a long and prosperous life until 89. She did, however, experience some health issues as she grew older.
In 2015, her management announced that the Star Trek actress had suffered a mild stroke and was taken to a hospital for testing and treatment. She had been diagnosed with a stroke and had therapy in Los Angeles. However, the actress was given a dementia diagnosis in 2018.
She ceased all public appearances in 2019 due to her declining health and old age.
Nichelle Nichols Net Worth: How Rich Was The Star Trek Cast Lt Uhura When She Died?
Nichols’ net worth was $500 thousand at the time of her death. Her acting career provided her with a lump sum payment.
The actress got her big break in the 1961 musical Kicks and Co. She did some modeling before launching her acting career. She has appeared on the cover of Ebony magazine as a model. Nichols finally got her to break in the TV series Star Trek, where she played Nyota Uhura. She was one of the first African-American women to appear on a major television show.
Similarly, In 2016, she received the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films’ “The Life Career Award.”
With her total wealth suddenly increasing, her son Kyle Johnson, her former manager Gilbert Bell, and her friend Angelique Fawcette have been arguing over who should be in charge of Nichols, who is suffering from dementia.
Her son won the petition for conservatorship in 2018, but her former manager, Bell, and friend Fawcette are still fighting over it. When the actress is not with us, all her earnings will be distributed to her close relatives, following the law.
Where Is Nichelle Nichols’s Son Kyle Johnson Today?
As Nichols, 88, battles dementia, actor Johnson, 70, has served as his mother’s conservator of person and estate since January 2019.
In August 2021, Kyle sold Nichelle’s California home and relocated her to New Mexico, where he now lives with his long-term partner. He said of the processing he has been through and her feeling he has not served his mother well.
Kyle was a liberal radio show host in the early 2000s, but it’s unclear what he’s up to now. However, it was taken off the air due to a loss of advertising revenue because it was the only liberal show on that radio station at the time, amid a flurry of right-wing offerings. Kyle previously worked as a director of communications.
Later, Kyle filed for conservatorship partly because Gilbert had transferred Nichelle’s residence to his name in 2017. Kyle came to California after the petition to help Nichelle with her money, claiming that his mother was “totally underwater at her bank.”
In January 2019, the court-appointed Kyle as conservator over Nichelle’s person and estate. A video shot by Gilbert was later released, causing even more controversy where he says he did not grant permission to have conservatorship over him.