‘Star Trek’ Actress Grace Lee Whitney Dies at 85

Grace Lee Whitney, the actress who played Captain Kirk's assistant on the original Star Trek series, has died at age 85.

Whitney died of natural causes Friday in her home, according to her son Jonathan Dweck.

Whitney played Yeoman Janice Rand in the first eight episodes of the series, and then was written out of the show. In her autobiography The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy, she said that her acting career ended after that and she became an alcoholic.

After seeking treatment, Leonard Nimoy helped her resurrect her career.

She reprised 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.

Besides Jonathan, she was survived by her other son, Scott Dweck.