Sir Ian McKellen has paid tribute to Patrick Stewart, who died at his home in Los Angeles on 28 October at the age of 86. The death of Patrick Stewart was announced on his official Instagram account on 29 October. His longtime spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, said he died after a brief, private time living with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. McKellen, his longtime friend and co-star in the X-Men films, posted a long message that began with Stewart’s roots in Yorkshire and closed with the film role audiences have yet to see.
Patrick Stewart and the Yorkshire roots McKellen recalled
McKellen wrote that Patrick Stewart was defined, before everything else, by being born and bred in Yorkshire, a county in the north of England that he loved to the end. He said the accent could be heard in Stewart’s voice and that Yorkshire people had no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. McKellen wrote that Stewart wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and, in McKellen’s case, to love. McKellen officiated at Stewart’s wedding to singer and songwriter Sunny Ozell in 2013, and the pair later performed Waiting for Godot together in London and on Broadway.
McKellen wrote that America was Patrick Stewart’s adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny, who cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin. He added that Stewart never forsook his origins, and he named Stewart’s appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire as the proudest achievement of an actor respected and loved on either side of the Atlantic. McKellen closed his message with a single line about the screen: “His farewell performance in Avengers: Doomsday is yet to be seen.”
Patrick Stewart on stage and screen
Patrick Stewart was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company for 27 years before and after his move into screen work, a stage career that ran alongside the television and film roles that made him known around the world. He played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and later returned to the role in Star Trek: Picard. He played Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films and returned to that role in Logan. TV Insider noted that Avengers: Doomsday, due in theaters on 18 December, was listed as his last completed film.
Other tributes came from across his career. William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in Star Trek, wrote that Stewart was a friend, a colleague and a magnificent actor, and that Captain Picard stood for the best of us, as did the man who played him. Shatner added that his heart went out to Sunny and Stewart’s family. Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine opposite Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, wrote that the world had lost one of the greats of stage and screen and, in his words, a tremendous friend and man. Jackman said he learned a great deal from Stewart and would miss him all of his days. Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Beverly Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, posted a photograph of the two of them on set with the caption “O Captain, My Captain” and wrote, “Great memories, unforgettable man. Rest in Peace.” Jonathan Frakes, who played William Riker alongside Stewart, shared the Instagram obituary and wrote, “Rest in peace my friend.”
Patrick Stewart and the farewell in Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel Studios posted its own tribute on 29 October, shortly after the announcement of Stewart’s death. The studio said Patrick Stewart brought Professor Charles Xavier to life with grace, intelligence and humanity, and that he defined the character for generations of fans, from X-Men to Logan to Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel said he was a singular talent, a generous collaborator and a true gentleman, and that its hearts went out to his wife Sunny, his children, his friends and the fans around the world whose lives he touched with his art. Kevin Feige, the producer and president of Marvel Studios, said he would never forget the first time he saw Stewart on the set of the first X-Men film, and that after years of knowing him as Captain Picard, he was in awe.
Feige added that away from the cameras, Stewart was even more remarkable, with a sharp sense of humor, and that it was a privilege to know him and to work with him. The family announcement, quoted in the reports, said Stewart had been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears and laughter. He is survived by his wife, Sunny Ozell, and his two children, Daniel and Sophie Stewart, whom he shared with his first wife, Sheila Falconer.