‘Star Trek’ Loses Another Member Of Its Original Crew, Actress Grace Lee Whitney Dies

Star Trek has lost another member of its original crew. NBC News is reporting that Grace Lee Whitney, who played Yeoman Janice Rand on the original Star Trek series, has died at the age of 85. Whitney’s character was Captain James T. Kirk’s personal assistant in the first season of Star Trek.

Born as Mary Ann Chase in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1930, Whitney was raised by an adoptive family. Before landing her role as Janice Rand on Star Trek, Grace began her career as a singer and eventually began opening in clubs for singers such as Billie Holliday and Buddy Rich. She appeared in other television shows but is best known for her role on Star Trek.

Throughout the years, Whitney attended Star Trek conventions around the world. It was at one of these conventions that Grace opened up about her alcoholism and credited her fans with getting her through. She told the Fresno Bee in 2013 the reaction she received from her fans when she admitted her struggle with alcohol.

“When I told the fans I was an alcoholic, they all applauded. When I told them I had given myself to a higher power, they cheered again. I’m in a great place because I’ve gone full circle.”

In her autobiography, The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy, Grace alleged she was written off Star Trek a few days after being sexually assaulted by a member of management. At the time Whitney’s character was written off, rumors as to the reason ranged from addiction to executives nixing the idea of a love interest for Captain Kirk. She went on to later appear in several of the Star Trek films, however.

According to the Fresno Bee, Whitney’s son, Jonathan Dweck, confirmed Sunday the Star Trek actress passed away May 1 in her home in Coarsegold, California. No cause of death has been given. Whitney’s family reportedly believes she would want to be remembered as a “successful survivor of addiction.”

“Grace experienced 35 years of sobriety through continuous fellowship with others and through God and Jesus,” Whitney’s family said, according to NBC News.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, Leonard Nimoy also passed away this year in February. Nimoy was best known for his character as Spock, a Vulcan, on the original Star Trek series. Star Trek producer Harve Bennett passed away in March of this year.

[Image via Comicbook.com]