Star Trek Actress Grace Lee Whitney Dies at 85

Grace Lee Whitney, the actress best known for her role as Yeoman Janice Rand on Star Trek: The Original Series, passed away from natural causes on Friday at her home in Coarsegold, CA, the Associated Press reports. Grace's death was also confirmed by the official Star Trek website on Sunday, which celebrated the actress's colorful life, contribution to the beloved series, and longtime struggle with sobriety. Grace discussed her battle with alcohol addiction in her 1998 autobiography, The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy, where she admitted that her acting career floundered before she sought treatment. After getting sober, Grace 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. Grace's son Jonathan Dweck told the Associated Press that his mother had dedicated the last 35 years of her life to helping others with addiction and that she would have wanted to be remembered as a successful survivor rather than for her acting fame. Grace is survived by her two sons, Jonathan and Scott.