Patrick Stewart has died. His family shared the news today on Sir Patrick Stewart's official account, saying he passed away yesterday, Wednesday, October 28, at his home in Los Angeles, "in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia." Patrick Stewart was the actor who gave Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor Charles Xavier their voice, and he did it after a long first life on the classical stage.
Read our full career tribute: Patrick Stewart, From Mirfield to the Final Frontier.
The statement describes his final days as spent "in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all."
From Mirfield to the Royal Shakespeare Company
His family calls him "a son of Mirfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire" who travelled from the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) to "an equally acclaimed career spanning six decades on Broadway, the silver screen and television."
The Royal Shakespeare Company's own record notes that he joined the company in 1966. His Shakespeare roles there include King John in 1970, Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1977, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice in 1978 and again in 2011, Titus Andronicus in 1981, Henry IV in 1982, Antony in Antony and Cleopatra and Prospero in The Tempest, both in 2006, and Claudius in Hamlet in 2008.
Picard and Professor X
To screen audiences he was two leaders above all. On Star Trek: The Next Generation he commanded the Starship Enterprise as Jean-Luc Picard, and in the X-Men films he played Professor Charles Xavier, the telepathic founder of the X-Men. The family statement says he "brought hope not only to the far reaches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but into science fiction's most iconic final frontier aboard the Starship Enterprise."
The family closed its statement with lines from his book Making It So: A Memoir: "Like me, Jean-Luc has lived an unusual life that has taken him far beyond the bounds of normal human experience. But he is also someone who has remained true to his earthbound roots, for they are what gave him his identity. In the end, he feels the call of home, as do I."
Marvel Studios said he defined Xavier "for generations of fans, from 'X-Men' to 'Logan' to 'Avengers: Doomsday,'" and called him "a singular talent, a generous collaborator, and a true gentleman." Avengers: Doomsday is dated for theaters on December 18, the same day as Dune: Part Three. Warner Bros. Entertainment also posted a tribute, and his Star Trek colleague William Shatner wrote, "Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him."
Beyond the stage
His family also points to his philanthropy and activism for human rights, survivors of domestic violence, global refugees, veterans' mental health services and animal welfare, "particularly his cherished foster pitties." They describe him as a Knight, a Chancellor, a motor sport enthusiast and a lifelong Huddersfield football fan.
How to honor him
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions go to the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Fund or to Alzheimer's Foundation of America Caregiver Resources.
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