Nichelle Nichols, known to many Star Trek fans as Lt. Nyota Uhura, passed away at the age of 89 in 2022 in New Mexico. Nichelle Nichols’ family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a medical center, with the jury awarding them $13 million in the process.
As reported by local news outlet KOAT, the family of Nichelle Nichols filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Gila Medical Center in Silver City, New Mexico, in 2025. The suit alleges that the center was negligent in their treatment of Nichols’ heart condition, writing in the suit that the center “fostered an environment which prevented Ms. Nichols from being diagnosed and treated properly.”
Lisa Curtis, an attorney for the family, wrote in a statement, “Nichelle Nichols had a new heart condition, and the great people that were taking care of her sent her to the emergency room to be diagnosed. They did a terrible job of that.”
Curtis added that the center had an opportunity to assist Nichols, but instead didn’t take proper measures to ensure her the care she needed regarding her heart condition.
“So, she needed to see somebody that could diagnose her and treat her. They didn’t transfer her to Las Cruces. It’s just a trip down I-25. It should have been an easy call, but the problem is a hospital [with] very poor policies for that,” Curtis said.
Nichols was born Grace Dell Nichols on Dec. 28, 1932 in the Chicago suburb of Robbins, Illinois. She began her career in entertainment as a teenager and was a touring singer with Duke Ellington.
Born Grace Dell Nichols on Dec. 28, 1932, outside of Chicago, Illinois, the actress got her start young as an entertainer at the age of 16. She would tour nationally with the iconic jazz musician Duke Ellington as a singer, landing in Los Angeles, California.
In 1966, Nichols was cast on Star Trek as communications officer Lt. Uhura alongside William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and George Takei.
She also reprised the role in several films in the franchise and remained a fixture and inspiration among fans and fellow actors who later took up the mantle, such as Zoe Saldaña and Celia Rose Gooding.
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Photo: Getty
