Acclaimed British actor Patrick Stewart has died at the age of 86. Stewart passed away on Wednesday, October 28, at his home in Los Angeles. According to his longtime spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak and official social media announcements, his death followed a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
Stewart was a classically trained stage actor who performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and scaled the Shakespearean canon. He later gained international fame for his role as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and for his work in the X-Men film franchise, bringing gravitas to both the sci-fi and superhero genres.
Throughout his decades-long career on stage and screen, Stewart became best known for portraying kind, paternal leaders who united families of misfits. This public image contrasted with his personal history, as he was raised by an abusive father.