Tributes have poured in for Sir Patrick Stewart, including from Sir Ian McKellen, one of Patrick's closest friends for decades, who called him the "man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love."
Sir Ian wrote on X: "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."
© Mike Marsland/WireImageKnown for his acclaimed theatre performances and work in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the X-Men franchise, Sir Patrick died age 86 after 'brief journey' with Alzheimer's.
His friendship with Sir Ian was beloved worldwide; Sir Patrick was a lifelong ally of the LGBTQ community, and the pair were never afraid to show their love for each other with a kiss.
“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," Sir Ian 87, continued.
© Getty Images"'But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk—getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?’' he recalled.
"Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did for not just his devoted Trekkies but film and theatre audiences, who marvelled 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."
© WireImageHe continued: "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."
"It's like a huge giant tree has fallen in the forest," said Dame Harriet
© Corbis via Getty ImagesDame Harriet Walter, another longtime friend of Sir Patrick, said she "can’t really imagine a world without him."
"It's like a huge giant tree has fallen in the forest," she said. "I’ve never heard a bad word against him. And I think the world’s going to be very poor without him."
Both Harriet and Sir Patrick were longtime members of the RSC.
Star Trek tributes to Sir Patrick
William Shatner also led the tributes to Sir Patrick, who has died at the age of 86. William, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the original 1960s Star Trek TV series, posted on Facebook: "What a heartbreaking week it has been. Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor."
He continued: "From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did."
© FilmMagic, IncSir Patrick found global fame in the early 1990s as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, continuing the franchise two decades after William.
"Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work. My heart goes out to Sunny and his family. He will be deeply missed," concluded .
© WireImageBrian Cox, a close friend, told HELLO!: "Patrick's passing came as a shock. Over the years, Patrick became a master of our craft, with a broad body of original and outstanding work, across the whole range of media."
Jonathan Frakes, who played Picard's right-hand man William Riker, reposted the statement shared by Sir Patrick's family, simply writing: "Rest in peace my friend."
George Takei, who starred in The Original with William, : "Fans across the world mourn the passing of a true and irreplaceable legend. As Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart took the starship Enterprise to places it had never gone before.
"He inspired a whole next generation of star-gazers who looked longingly ahead to a brighter future for all humanity. Our hearts are heavy, indeed. Rest in the heavens, Captain."
© Getty ImagesSir Patrick's X-Men break silence
Marvel Studios also paid tribute, describing the actor – who will appear in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, as a "true gentleman."
In a message posted on X, the company wrote: "All of us at Marvel Studios are deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart. Sir Patrick brought Professor Charles Xavier to life with extraordinary grace, intelligence, and humanity, defining the character for generations of fans, from X-Men to Logan to Avengers: Doomsday.
"He was a singular talent, a generous collaborator, and a true gentleman. Our hearts go out to his wife Sunny, his children, his friends, and the countless fans around the world whose lives he touched with his art."
Sir Patrick appeared as Professor X in nine movies, including the original Fox trilogy (X-Men, X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand), as well as 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, 2017's Logan, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022.
Avengers: Doomsday is set for release on December, 18 2026.
Hugh Jackman, who starred as Logan/Wolverine, posted on Instagram: "We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today. And, in my book, a tremendous friend and man. I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days."
Dafne Keen, who broke out in Logan, commented: "A giant amongst men. He will be so very missed."
© Hugh JackmanKevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, said: "I'll never forget the first time I saw Sir Patrick Stewart on the set of the first X-Men. After years of knowing him as the inimitable Captain Picard, I was in awe — and he turned out to be everything I had seen on screen and more: brilliant, charming, warm, generous, with a quiet strength and gravitas."
“Away from the cameras, he was even more remarkable, with a wonderfully sharp sense of humor," he continued. "It was a true privilege to know him and to work with him. His legacy lives on not only in decades of extraordinary work, but in the many, many people he mentored. He will be deeply missed."
© WireImageThe family's statement
"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," a statement shared on Instagram on Thursday, October 29, 2026 read.
"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," the statement said.
"We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection of his invincible grace."
© WireImage
