Nichelle Nichols was born in Robbins, Illinois on December 28, 1933.  Her birth name was Grace Dell Nichols.

       At the end of Star Trek's first season, she was thinking of leaving the show.  She ended up staying.

       She released a single Shop Shop. She also released an album, Dark Side of the Moon.  On the album was the tribute song she wrote for Gene Roddenberry.  She sang the song at his funeral in 1991.  As Uhura, Nichols sang on the Star Trek episodes "Charlie X", “The Changeling” and "The Conscience of the King"

.       Her biography, Beyond Uhura was published in 1994.

       From 1977 to 2015, she volunteered her time to promote NASA's programs and recruit diverse astronauts, including some of the first female and ethnic minority astronauts.

      Nichols later years were met with controversy about conservatorship with her son and manager.  She suffered a mild stroke in 2015 and was diagnosed with dementia which resulted in retiring from convention appearances.

      Nichols died of heart failure in Silver City, New Mexico, on July 30, 2022, at the age of 89 and her ashes were launched into deep space.