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Grace Lee Whitney | 'Star Trek' actress, 85

Grace Lee Whitney, 85, who played Captain Kirk's assistant on the original Star Trek series, died of natural causes Friday at her home in Coarsegold, Calif.

Grace Lee Whitney, 85, who played Captain Kirk's assistant on the original Star Trek series, died of natural causes Friday at her home in Coarsegold, Calif.

Ms. Whitney played Yeoman Janice Rand in the first eight episodes before being written out of the series. In her 1998 autobiography, The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy, she wrote that her acting career largely came to an end and she became an alcoholic.

She wrote that she struggled with her addiction for many years before getting treatment and regaining her career with the help of Leonard Nimoy, who starred as Spock in the series.

She 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.

 She dedicated the last 35 years of her life to helping people recover from addictions, some of whom she met at Star Trek conventions, her son Jonathan Dweck said. - AP