Actor, writer, and activist Sir Patrick Stewart died on Wednesday. In a statement issued via his social media on October 29, his family wrote that the Star Trek star and renowned Shakespearean thespian left us following “a brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. Since the news surfaced, an outpouring of grief rippled from his closest colleagues and collaborators.
Notably among them, Sir Ian McKellen, a true friend and screen partner of Stewart’s for over 50 years across stage and film, wrote an emotional tribute to Stewart over social media. The series ran until 1994 and made Stewart a household name. Then, he starred in the summer blockbuster X-Men (2000), playing mentor Charles Xavier with McKellen opposite him as Xavier’s once-close friend turned philosophical antagonist, Magneto.
Fellow actors who worked with Stewart across Star Trek, Marvel, and beyond also penned tributes and personal anecdotes in memory of Stewart. The Next Generation co-star LeVar Burton wrote in a public statement: “He was family. There is no other context in which to hold him that makes sense.
I am lucky to have known and loved so many of the facets of a soul so rich in talent and generous of heart. Of all the dames and knights I’ve known, he was deep down the silliest.” Hugh Jackman, who starred in several X-Men installments with Stewart—including their acclaimed 2017 hit Logan—wrote on Instagram: “We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today. And, in my book, a tremendous friend and man.
I learned so much from him. I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days.” Television creator Seth MacFarlane, a noted Trekkie who cast Stewart in a handful of bit parts across Family Guy, American Dad, and his 2012 R-rated comedy Ted, said Stewart was, “that rare actor who could take any bit of dialogue and elevate it, making a good writer sound great, and a great writer sound masterful.” Wrote MacFarlane: “I remember exchanging emails with him a number of years ago when he was beginning day 1 of a new film. He commented to me that he always walked onto a new set feeling like the biggest novice there.
My stunned reaction was the same as anyone’s would be. I said, ‘Patrick, if you feel that way, the rest of us are screwed.’ We have lost a legendary actor today, and for many of us, a good friend.” Dafne Keen, who worked with Stewart extensively in Logan as a child actress, remembered the late performer on her Instagram: “He was such a kind, genuine, funny, unique, caring and charming man. I remember his endless jokes, nurturing nature and colourful reading glasses.
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