Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, shown in this 1994 file photo, died Thursday at her home in Bel-Air, Calif. (Associated Press)Majel Barrett Roddenberry, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's widow and a fixture of nearly every incarnation of the space travel franchise, died on Thursday. She was 76.
Roddenberry, who suffered from leukemia, died at home in Bel Air, Calif., according to a spokesperson.
Before Star Trek, the Ohio-born actress worked on a range of television shows, including Bonanza and Leave it to Beaver.
She was romantically involved with Roddenberry when he launched Star Trek in the mid-1960s. Though he cast her as the USS Enterprise's unnamed first officer in his pilot, she would go on to fame as the secondary character Nurse Chapel in the original series and in subsequent films. The couple married in 1969.
Roddenberry reappeared in the revamped Star Trek: The Next Generation as one of its beloved recurring characters: Betazoid ambassador Lwaxana Troi and as the voice of the starship's onboard computer — a job she would also hold on spin-offs Deep Space Nine and Voyager, audio books, animated series, video games as well as on the forthcoming J.J. Abrams prequel film.
After her husband's death in 1991, Roddenberry continued his legacy by helping bring to life other TV projects he had been working on, including the television series Earth: Final Conflict and Andromeda.
Roddenberry is survived by her son, Eugene Roddenberry Jr.
With files from the Associated PressShare Tools
- Spider-Man trailer: fresh take or more of the same?by Arts Online Feb. 7, 2012 5:15 PM Spider-Man? Yes. Amazing? Maybe. The first full-length trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man -- the reboot of the comic-turned-movie trilogy -- has been released. But considering the previous movie franchise ended a mere five years ago and that we've been bombarded with stories about the troubled Broadway musical adaptation since then, this reboot does beg the question: Do we really need to revisit Spider-Man?
Top News Headlines
- Greece passes new austerity deal amid rioting
- Greek lawmakers have approved harsh new austerity measures demanded by bailout creditors to save the debt-crippled nation from bankruptcy, after riots in Athens and other cities left stores looted and burned and more than 120 people hurt. more »
- Quebec town 'heartbroken' after killing of woman, sisters
- A small Quebec town is in mourning Sunday after a Quebec man was charged with killing his nieces and his mother, who were found dead in their family home. more »
- Houston autopsy results withheld by police
- Whitney Houston was found in a hotel bathtub but it'll take weeks to determine precisely how she died, a Los Angeles coroner's official says. more »
- Musicians who died before their time
- The growing list of musicians who have died young. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Britain's BAFTAs honours The Artist
- Silent movie The Artist dominated the British Academy Film awards, the U.K. equivalent of the Oscars, winning seven awards, including best picture. more »
- Houston autopsy results withheld by police
- Whitney Houston was found in a hotel bathtub but it'll take weeks to determine precisely how she died, a Los Angeles coroner's official says. more »
- Whitney Houston's death sparks chorus of grief
- Regular music fans and superstar performers joined together in a chorus of grief upon hearing that Whitney Houston had died at age 48 on the eve of the Grammy Awards. more »
- World Press Photo won by Arab protest image
- Spanish photographer Samuel Aranda won the 2011 World Press Photo of the Year award Friday for an image of a veiled woman holding a wounded relative in her arms after a demonstration in Yemen. more »
Q Blog
Enter our Six-Word Modern Love Story Contest! Feb. 10, 2012 2:54 PM The goal is simple: tell a full and rich modern love tale in just six words. Funny. Sad. Sexy. Or futuristic sexy, the kind with spaceships. Winners announced on Q's February 14th Modern Love special.
CBC Books
The web celebrates 200 years of Charles Dickens Feb. 10, 2012 7:13 PM The revered English novelist turns two centuries-old this week! See the online tributes and leave your birthday message for a chance to win a copy of Charles Dickens: A Life.
- Pop queen Whitney Houston dies at 48
- Houston autopsy results withheld by police
- Greece passes new austerity deal amid rioting
- Foo Fighters win 5 Grammys
- Carleton University confirms death of student
- Quebec town 'heartbroken' after killing of woman, sisters
- Ultimate Tazer Ball combines shock and soccer
- Manitoba man dies after falling off moving SUV
- Adults-only trade show cancelled in B.C. Bible belt

