“He wore his heart on his sleeve” - that's how Ian McKellen described Patrick Stewart in an emotional tribute following the actor's death at age 86.
Patrick Stewart died on October 28 at his home in Los Angeles, the news was confirmed by his longtime publicist Kelly Bush Novak.
According to Novak, the actor had gone through “a short and difficult period” of suffering from Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia. He was surrounded by his wife Sunny Ozel, family and friends in his final days.
SIR PATRICK STEWART (1940-2026) Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love. We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago, but we weren't in the same productions. My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in 'Star Trek'. “ But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk—getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”. Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did for not just his devoted Trekkies but film and theater audiences, who marveled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes ('X-Men' of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway. America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin. But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire. His farewell performance in 'Avengers: Doomsday' is yet to be seen. Ian McKellen 29 October 2026 Photo: University of Huddersfield
— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) October 30, 2026
A friendship that began in the theatre
McKellen and Stewart met as young actors at the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1970s. They didn't initially star in the same productions, but they gradually developed one of the most recognisable friendships in British theatre and film.
„He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him someone you could rely on, admire and in my case – to love“, wrote Ian McKellen.
In his text, he also recalled a conversation with the future Captain Picard when Stewart was offered a leading role in “Star Trek“. McKellen was worried that his friend might abandon his stage career in Britain for Hollywood. Stewart nevertheless took the risk – a decision that made him an international star.
From Shakespeare to Captain Picard
Patrick Stewart became world famous as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in “Star Trek: The Next Generation“, and later returned to the character in the series “Star Trek: Picard“. Another of his iconic roles is Professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men“ series, where he played alongside McKellen, who played Magneto, between 2000 and 2014.
However, his career began and developed long before his screen success. Patrick Stewart played in works by Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett. He starred with Ian McKellen in “The Waste Lands“ and Waiting for Godot on stages in London, New York and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Their friendship extends beyond the stage. McKellen officiated at Stewart's wedding to singer Sunny Ozell on September 7, 2013. The two actors were knighted by the British Crown - McKellen in 1991, Stewart in 2010.
In his final film role, Patrick Stewart reprised his role as Professor Charles Xavier in Avengers: The Rise of Doctor Doom. The film is scheduled for release in December 2026, making it his final appearance on the big screen.