Sir Patrick Stewart has died at the age of 86, his family has announced.
A statement posted on his Instagram said the actor died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, "in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia." His family said he was surrounded by "live music, prayer, tears, laughter" during his illness.
Born in Mirfield, near Huddersfield, Stewart memorised Shakespeare for fun as a teenager and won a scholarship to the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol. He spent 14 years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing Oberon, Mark Antony, Henry IV and Shylock, and was later nominated for a Tony Award for his acclaimed Macbeth.
His international breakthrough came in 1987 when he took the lead in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. The show ran for seven years and 178 episodes, spawning four feature films. In his memoir, Stewart wrote that he approached the role as if Picard were "a character in Henry IV, which is about brave men," noting the formality of starship commanders reminded him of Shakespearean stagecraft.
He went on to play Professor Charles Xavier in multiple X-Men films beginning in 2000, and recently appeared in a trailer for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Later in his career he showed his comic side with dozens of guest appearances in Family Guy and American Dad, as well as two episodes of The Simpsons.
Sir Ian McKellen, a longtime friend who officiated Stewart's wedding in 2013, called him "a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love," describing him as “the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic.”
William Shatner, Stewart's predecessor as Star Trek captain, wrote on X: “He brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did. Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him.”
Hugh Jackman, who starred alongside Stewart as Wolverine, said the acting world had "lost one of the greats" and a “tremendous friend and man. I learned so much from him. I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days.”
Marvel Studios paid tribute to "a singular talent, a generous collaborator, and a true gentleman," saying he brought Professor X to life with “extraordinary grace, intelligence, and humanity, defining the character for generations of fans.”
Stewart was married three times, most recently to singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell, nearly 40 years his junior. They met when she served him in a restaurant during the New York run of his Macbeth; he gave her his phone number "the only time in my life," he recalled and the rest followed. He is survived by Ozell and two adult children from his first marriage, Sophia and Daniel.
His family also highlighted his philanthropy and campaigning on domestic violence, veterans' mental health and animal welfare. A patron of the charity Refuge, Stewart spoke publicly about his own childhood, recalling how he and his brother waited in fear of their father, a former army major, coming home drunk and beating their mother.
Fans have begun leaving flowers on his Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
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