Patrick Stewart, Star Trek and X-Men star, dies at 86
- Sir Patrick Stewart died on Wednesday, 28 October, at his home in Los Angeles, aged 86.
- A statement said he had Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia and was cared for by his wife Sunny.
- He was known worldwide as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men.
Sir Patrick Stewart, the British actor Nigerians know best as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men, has died at 86.
A statement announced his death on Thursday, saying he passed away the day before, Wednesday, 28 October, at his home in Los Angeles. He was in the care of his wife, Sunny Ozell.
According to the statement, his final period followed "a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia."
His longtime spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, first confirmed the news, Leadership reported. The statement said he was surrounded by family and friends, with live music, prayer, tears and laughter.
Stewart was born in Mirfield, Yorkshire, in northern England, on 13 July 1940. He grew up in difficult circumstances, and a schoolteacher introduced him to Shakespeare at age 12.
He went on to build a serious stage career with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1960s, playing roles from Claudius to Macbeth.
From Shakespeare to the starship
At 47, Stewart was cast as Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran from 1987 to 1994. Legit.ng reported that his close friend Ian McKellen had urged him to stay in theatre, but he took the part.
He played Picard across 176 episodes, several films and the later streaming series Star Trek: Picard, which began in 2020.
He was also reluctant to take the role of Professor Charles Xavier, the wheelchair-using mutant leader, in the X-Men films. He agreed, starting with the first film in 2000, and became the face of another global franchise.
Queen Elizabeth II knighted him at Buckingham Palace in 2010.
The statement said his "sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre."
He is survived by his wife Sunny, whom he married in 2013, and his two children.
For many Nigerians who grew up watching Picard on screen, the loss will land like the passing of a familiar face. His work carried a simple message that travelled well beyond Hollywood: discipline, curiosity and dignity, even in strange new worlds.
