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Star Trek: The Motion Picture actress Nichelle Nichols has passed away at the age of 89. Her son Kyle Johnson confirmed the news by stating that the actress, who played communications officer Lt. Uhura, died on Saturday in Silver City, New Mexico.
The actress recently made headlines for being in conservatorship under her son Kyle. Followers pleaded for her emancipation.
In an official Facebook post, Kyle Johnson announced on Sunday:
“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.”
The exact reason behind her death remains unknown.
Nichelle Nichols’ conservatorship explored
Nichelle Nichols reportedly suffered from dementia which played a role in her being placed under conservatorship. Her son petitioned for him to be her conservator after Nichols’ former manager Gilbert Bell was accused of wrongfully using the actress’ finances.
Johnson successfully managed to be put in charge of her finances and her estate in January 2019.
Many of the actress’ colleagues have rallied against her conservatorship. Her friend, film producer and actress Angelique Fawcette stood against her conservatorship. She claimed that the conservatorship is taking place against her wishes and also believes that she does not require it.
Fawcett claimed that her son is abusing her finances as well. She even attempted to gain access to Nichelle Nichols and to Johnson’s financial records which could show her finances being moved maliciously.
Angelique filed several petitions regarding the same, but the court declined to listen to her and what she had to say. It was also announced that the actor does not have a right to lodge a complaint for Nichelle Nichols.
Speaking about her attempts to get in touch with the actress, Fawcette revealed:
“When you have a relationship with someone, that relationship is always going to remain in your heart and soul. Unfortunately, her son has tried to destroy our relationship. The relationship will always be here and I will always keep my promise to fight for Nichelle.”
It was also revealed that Kyle Johnson had isolated Nichols and sold her Woodland Hills home despite her not being in favor of the same.
Speaking about Nichols’ house being sold, Fawcett said in an interview:
“When the house was sold, I was very hurt for her. She has no place to go back to anymore. It hurt me because I knew that it would hurt her. She stated that she wanted to remain in her home, yet the court let her son move her out.”
A movement titled Free Nichelle also came into being. Many believed that Johnson was not an adequate caregiver if one was required.
It remains unclear whether the Track Turner actress required conservatorship in reality as there is no way to deduce whether her good days outweighed the bad ones. It is also difficult to conclude whether Nichols truly met the requirements that claimed that she couldn't care for herself and couldn't meet her "basic needs of food, clothing and shelter.”
