Highlights
- Sir Patrick Stewart has died aged 86 at his home in Los Angeles, his longtime spokesperson announced on Thursday
- He died after "a brief and poignant journey" with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, in the care of his wife, Sunny
- Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, William Shatner, Marvel Studios and the Royal Shakespeare Company have paid tribute
- He is due to appear as Professor X in Avengers: Doomsday in December, which TIME says will be his final on-screen appearance
Sir Patrick Stewart, the Shakespearean actor from a West Yorkshire town who became Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, has died at the age of 86.
How did Sir Patrick Stewart die?
Stewart died on Wednesday 28 October at his home in Los Angeles, according to his longtime spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak. In a statement posted on his official Instagram and X accounts on Thursday, she said he died in the loving care of his wife, Sunny, after "a brief and poignant journey" with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.
The statement said family and friends had surrounded him with live music, prayer, tears and laughter in his final days. It added that he would be remembered for the dignity, compassion and humanity he brought to every role.
Who has paid tribute to Sir Patrick Stewart?
Tributes have come from the worlds of theatre, Star Trek and Marvel.
| Who | What they said |
|---|---|
| Sir Ian McKellen, his friend of decades and his X-Men rival Magneto | Called him "a man to rely on, admire and in my case, love", according to The Hollywood Reporter. McKellen said Stewart "never forsook his origins" |
| Hugh Jackman, Wolverine in the X-Men films | "I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days" |
| William Shatner, who starred alongside him in Star Trek Generations | He brought "intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity" to everything |
| George Takei | Said Stewart "took the starship Enterprise to places it had never gone before" |
| Marvel Studios | Called him "a singular talent, a generous collaborator, and a true gentleman" |
| The Royal Shakespeare Company | Called him "a colossus of both stage and screen" |
Flowers were left on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after the announcement. McKellen once joked that going around with Stewart was "like going around with the pope".
Is Avengers: Doomsday Patrick Stewart's final film?
Patrick Stewart es Professor X in 'Avengers: Doomsday' Patrick Stewart es Professor X in 'Avengers: Doomsday'
TIME reports it will be his final on-screen appearance. Stewart returns as Professor X for the eighth time in the Marvel crossover, which arrives in December and reunites him with McKellen's Magneto. The film also stars Simu Liu, the Shang-Chi actor Eastern Eye has profiled. A teaser released in January showed Xavier and Magneto playing chess, and Prolific North reports Marvel released a new trailer only days before Stewart's death.
Where was Sir Patrick Stewart from?
He was born on 13 July 1940 in Mirfield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of Gladys, a weaver, and Alfred, a Parachute Regiment sergeant major who later worked as a labourer and postman. He grew up in poverty and, as he later said, in a home marked by domestic violence at his father's hands. After an English teacher introduced him to Shakespeare, acting became what he called a "refuge from real life".
He left school at 15 and worked as a local newspaper reporter and obituary writer before choosing the stage. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, remaining a core member until 1982. His first television role was in Coronation Street in 1967.
How did Patrick Stewart become Captain Picard?
Hollywood called in 1987, when he was cast in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran until 1994. His friend McKellen advised him against signing up. Stewart ignored the advice, and the role made him a global star. He returned to the character in Star Trek: Picard from 2020 to 2023, and played Professor X from 2000, in the first X-Men film, through Logan in 2017.
His 2023 memoir was called Making It So.
What did Patrick Stewart achieve?
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1966 | Joins the Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 1987 | Cast as Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation |
| 1996 | Receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame |
| 2000 | Plays Professor X in the first X-Men film |
| 2004 | Becomes Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, serving until 2015 |
| 2008 | Nominated for a Tony for Macbeth |
| 2010 | Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama |
| 2024 | Receives the Freedom of Kirklees, only the third person to do so |
He also performed with McKellen in Waiting for Godot and No Man's Land in the West End and on Broadway, and performed a celebrated one-man A Christmas Carol.
What causes did Patrick Stewart support?
His family's statement said his achievements were "humbly matched" by his work for human rights, survivors of domestic violence, refugees, veterans' mental health services and animal welfare. He was a patron of the UK charity Refuge, in tribute to his mother. The statement also remembered him as a motor sport enthusiast and a lifelong Huddersfield Town fan.
What is Lewy body dementia?
Dementia with Lewy bodies is a form of dementia that affects over 100,000 people in the UK, according to NHS information, and accounts for about one in ten cases of dementia, says the Alzheimer's Society. Symptoms can include fluctuating thinking and attention, visual hallucinations, disturbed sleep and movement problems similar to Parkinson's disease.
