Patrick Stewart, Star Trek and X-Men Star, Dies at 86
Sir Patrick Stewart, the Shakespearean stage actor who became a global star as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, has died at the age of 86, Reuters reported. A statement shared on his social media accounts on Thursday, 29 October, said he died the previous day at his home in Los Angeles.
The announcement
“We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday 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,” the statement said, according to Reuters. People reported the same wording from Stewart’s longtime spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak.
The statement added that Stewart had been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, People reported, and described a career spanning six decades, from the Royal Shakespeare Company to Broadway, film and television.
From Mirfield to the Royal Shakespeare Company
Stewart was born on 13 July 1940 in Mirfield, Yorkshire, Reuters reported. He told interviewers that acting became a “safe space” after a teacher introduced him to Shakespeare when he was 12. He became an actor at 18 and gained acclaim with the Royal Shakespeare Company from the 1960s, according to Reuters.
He was knighted in 2010 by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to drama, Reuters reported.
Captain Picard
Mainstream fame came late. Stewart was 47 when he was hired for Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran from 1987 to 1994, Reuters reported. He played Picard in 176 episodes over seven seasons, in several Star Trek films, and again in the streaming series Star Trek: Picard, which began airing in 2020 when he was 79.
He had debated taking the role, Reuters reported, after Ian McKellen advised him to remain in the theatre. Picard’s instructions — “Make it so” and “Engage” — became part of popular culture. Stewart told the Guardian in 2022 that the distinction between Picard and himself became “thinner and thinner” over seven seasons.
Professor X, and a life beyond the franchises
Stewart initially balked at playing Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, Reuters reported, before being persuaded the role would not be like Star Trek. He became central to another major franchise from the first X-Men film in 2000. Entertainment Weekly reported he was set to appear posthumously as Xavier in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
Stewart was married three times and had two children, Reuters reported. His third marriage, in 2013, was to musician Sunny Ozell, whom he met in 2008, People reported. The family statement remembered him for “the dignity, compassion and humanity he brought to every role.”
Sources: Reuters, 29 October 2026; People, 29 October 2026; Entertainment Weekly, 29 October 2026.