New Delhi: British actor Patrick Stewart, 86, died at his home in Los Angeles after “a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.”
“He has been held 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,” Kelly Bush Novak, his longtime spokesperson, told The Hollywood Reporter.
“We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace,” Novak said.
The actor is set to reprise his role as Professor X in Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to release later this December. In his last interview, Stewart told TV Insider that he could never imagine “officially retiring” and even acknowledged that acting opportunities become fewer as performers grow older.
For Stewart, however, the prospect of returning to familiar roles did not diminish his appetite for new challenges. Whether on stage, on screen or behind a microphone, the actor remained unwilling to put a definitive end date on his career.
His recent projects included voicing a pig’s head in Riz Ahmed’s series Bait (2026), along with voiceover work and a Shakespeare sonnets project.
“As any actor my age will tell you, there are fewer and fewer available roles as we get older. That being said, I still continue to receive interesting offers, and I love being challenged by new work,” Stewart said in July.
“I can’t imagine ever officially retiring. I’ll always and forever be an actor,” he added.
Stewart is best known for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) and as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films.
8 September marked Star Trek’s 60th anniversary since the franchise debuted on television.
Reflecting on his association with the space fantasy Drama, Stewart said Picard remains the most significant role of his career, despite initially fearing that the character might become an “albatross” around his neck. However, his return to the role in Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023) gave him another opportunity to explore the commanding officer of the Federation starship USS Enterprise.
“Without question, Jean-Luc is the most significant role of my career. And I will be forever grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of what is now such a historic franchise,” he said.
Stewart had once believed he had played Picard for the last time in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), following the conclusion of The Next Generation. However, the actor returned as Picard, and the series concluded with its third season in 2023. He in fact praised the decision to bring back the Next Generation cast for the third season, describing the experience as “absolutely joyous and satisfying”.
“They are all such dear friends, but also exceptionally talented artists,” he said.
“The enduring power of Star Trek and its values continues to reach new generations, and I’ll always cheer on new series and new adaptations of this story.”
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)