X-Men star and LGBTQ+ ally Patrick Stewart dies aged 86
Stewart, best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor X in the X-Men film franchise, died on Wednesday 28 October 2026
By Aaron Sugg
Patrick Stewart, X-Men star and LGBTQ+ ally, has died aged 86 following “a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia”.
Spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak announced the news today, confirming that the actor died on Wednesday (28 October) at his home in Los Angeles, in the care of his beloved wife, Sunny.
“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,” Bush Novak wrote.
“We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.”
Remembering Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart was born on 13 July 1940 in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, where his love for Shakespeare and the stage began. He went on to study at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School after receiving a grant in 1957.
He made his professional stage debut in Cyrano de Bergerac in 1959 and began appearing on screen in 1967 on TV soap opera Coronation Street, appearing as a fire officer.
Stewart’s breakthrough role came in 1987, when he landed the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Through seven seasons and four films, Picard became one of his best-known characters.
Stewart as Professor X
Stewart was perhaps best known to a modern generation for playing Professor Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, in the X-Men film franchise, beginning with X-Men (2000), followed by X2: X-Men United (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
Stewart reprised Professor X in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) and filmed for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday movie before his death. It has been confirmed that he will reunite on screen with his longtime friend and fellow X-Men star Sir Ian McKellen.
Friendship with Sir Ian McKellen
Away from the screen, Stewart shared a close friendship with fellow actor McKellen, whom he first met through the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1970s.
The pair became closer after starring opposite each other in the X-Men franchise, with McKellen portraying Magneto.
Famously, their friendship extended beyond stage and screen, with McKellen officiating at Stewart’s 2013 wedding to singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell.
In 2019, Stewart paid tribute to McKellen on his 80th birthday, writing to social media: “Sunny and I are grateful for all the love over the years, whether as a dear friend, minister at our wedding, or colleague on screen and stage.”
LGBTQ+ allyship
Standing alongside McKellen during the Thatcher era and the fight against Section 28, Stewart was also celebrated as an LGBTQ+ ally. In 1988, the pair were among actors involved in the Arts Lobby, which opposed the anti-gay legislation.
The following year, McKellen was among those who helped establish Stonewall, which has since become one of the UK’s largest LGBTQ+ rights organisations.
Over the years, the pair shared several moments together at the Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Stewart was also a longstanding supporter of same-sex marriage, campaigning alongside McKellen for LGBTQ+ rights.
Speaking to HuffPost Live in 2015, shortly after same-sex marriage was legalised in England and Wales, Stewart said: “The world is becoming increasingly a more fair, a more truly democratic place to live, and I’m proud to have campaigned on with Ian [McKellen] those issues.”
In lieu of flowers, Stewart’s family has asked that memorial contributions be made to the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s Caregiver Resources programme.