What Was Star Trek Star Nichelle Nichols' Net Worth When She Died?
Among the first Black actresses to play a major role on network TV, Nichelle Nichols, best known for her role as communications officer Lieutenant Uhura on the classic Star Trek TV series and in the subsequent film adaptations, has died at the age of 89, according to The Washington Post. Her death was confirmed through a statement from her son, Kyle Johnson, on the actress' official Facebook page. According to Johnson, his mother died from natural causes but further details were not provided as of this report.
Johnson's post also read, "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." After her time on "Star Trek," Nichols went on to act, sing, write, and produce, as Celebrity Net Worth explains. Given that long career, most estimates say Nichols had a sizable net worth when she died.
Nichelle Nichols net worth was at least $500 thousand
Also according to Celebrity Net Worth, Nichelle Nichols' net worth at the time of her passing was around $500,000, though other online outlets report her net worth much higher. At the time of Nichols' death, ExactNetWorth estimated the TV Star's net worth at around $8 million. After her time on the Enterprise, Nichols continued to earn a good deal of money through appearances at "Star Trek" conventions and other fan events, as Celebrity Net Worth also notes.
First diagnosed in 2013, Nichols lived with dementia at the time that she died, as Space.com reports. According to their 2021 report, Nichols' wealth was locked up in a conservatorship battle between her family members and her business associates. Off screen, the actress also worked for NASA as a spokesperson for female recruitment and to encourage more people of color to take an interest in space exploration. Also notable, as Uhura, Nichols' on-screen kiss with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) was the most high-profile interracial kiss on TV at that time (via Yahoo! Entertainment).