Grace Lee Whitney, who is known popularly as the actress who played Yeoman Janice Rand on the original "Star Trek" series, has died. She was 85-years old.
According to Fox News, Whitney's son, Jonathan Dweck, said that the actress died of natural causes on Friday in her home located in the Central California town of Coarsegold.
Dweck further said that most likely, his mother would have wanted to be remembered as a successful addiction survivor than for her "Star Trek" fame. She has dedicated the last 35 years of her life helping people with addiction problems, a number of whom she had met at "Star Trek" conventions. She also helped out through women's prisons or the Salvation Army, reports Variety.
Yeoman Janice Rand was Captain Kirk's assistant in the first eight episodes of "Star Trek" in 1966 before being written out of the series. Whitney admitted in her 1998 autobiography "The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy," that her acting career largely came to an end and she became an alcoholic. She wrote that she struggled with her addiction for a number of years before she sought treatmen. She then regained her career with the help of Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in the series.
The actress returned for the movie franchise, reprising her role in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country."
Born Mary Ann Chase, she started out her career as a singer and dancer. She was seen in a number of shows in the 1960's and 70's including "77 Sunset Strip," "Batman," "Cannon," and "Hart to Hart." In 1998, she guest starred on "Diagnosis Murder" with George Takei, Walter Koenig, and Majel Barrett.
"Over time, she became appreciative of her short time on "Star Trek" because she developed meaningful relationships with the fans, Leonard Nimoy, and other cast members," Dweck said.
Aside from Jonathan, Whitney is survived by another son, Scot Dweck.
