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Patrick Stewart has passed away at the age of 86
Sir Patrick Stewart, the British actor best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, has died at 86. Stewart will be reprising his role as Professor X when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters next month.
According to reports, Sir Patrick Stewart died at the age of 86 years old on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at his home in Los Angeles. No cause of death has been specified at this time.
A brief statement was released on his Instagram page asking fans to donate to the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund and Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources in lieu of memorial flowers.
Sir Patrick Stewart, the English actor best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor Charles Xavier, has passed away at the age of 86 years old
Stewart was born July 13, 1940, in Mirfield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and made his professional debut on May 19, 1959, in Cyrano de Bergerac at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1966 to 1982.
On television, Stewart appeared in I, Claudius in 1976 and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in 1979 before landing the role of Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran from 1987 to 1994. He also played the character in four films — Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis — and returned to the role in Star Trek: Picard from 2020 to 2023.
He played Professor Xavier in X-Men in 2000 and reprised the role numerous times until Logan in 2017. He appeared as a version of the character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022, and is set to return in Avengers: Doomsday, which hits theaters on December 18.
“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,” Marvel Studios said in a statement.
Stewart won Olivier Awards for Antony and Cleopatra in 1979 and Hamlet in 2008, and received a Tony nomination for Hamlet in 2008. He was made an OBE in 2001 and was knighted in 2010 for services to drama. His other credits included the 1999 TV movie adaptation of A Christmas Carol, David Lynch’s 1984 Dune film, Excalibur, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Green Room, and Coda.
The final performance of Stewart’s acclaimed career will come alongside his longtime friend Ian McKellen as Professor X in Avengers: Doomsday, which will be released in theaters on December 18. The pair were featured in arguably the best piece of marketing for the film so far, as it highlighted the storied history between the two legendary characters and actors.
“Death comes for us all — that’s all I know for sure. The question isn’t, ‘Are you prepared to die?'” McKellen’s Magneto opines in the teaser. “The question is, ‘Who will you be when you close your eyes?'”
If anyone had a good answer to that question, it was Stewart. Rest in Peace. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, fans, and various loved ones during this difficult time.