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Ian McKellen paid a lengthy tribute to Patrick Stewart on social media
Ian McKellen and various other famed X-Men actors have taken to social media to pay tribute to the late Patrick Stewart. Stewart passed away at the age of 86 years old on October 28.
The most touching tribute came from Sir Patrick Stewart’s longtime friend and creative collaborator Ian McKellen, who starred as Magneto opposite Stewart’s Professor X in the X-Men franchise.
Ian McKellen and numerous X-Men stars took to social media to pay tribute to their late co-star Sir Patrick Stewart
SIR PATRICK STEWART (1940-2026)
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.
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’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk—getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”. 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.
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.
Ian McKellen 29 October 2026
Photo: University of Huddersfield
— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) October 30, 2026
Movie star Hugh Jackman, who worked with Stewart numerous times throughout the years — beginning with X-Men in 2000 and most recently in The Sheep Detectives earlier this year — paid a predictably classy tribute to his friend and colleague.
Rebecca Romijn, who co-starred with Patrick Stewart in the X-Men movies as Mystique, also paid tribute to the late star:
“I feel so grateful to have known him for the last 25 years, and to have been in his orbit… both as a fellow mutant and as a fellow member of Starfleet,” she said.
“He was positively delicious, hilarious, naughty, incredible sense of humor, and that booming voice of his that always spoke to the very back of the room, as every classically trained Shakespearean great needs to master, has always been an inspiration. I send my condolences to his family, and I’ll miss my friend dearly. Rest in peace, Patrick.”
Scottish actor James McAvoy, who succeeded Stewart in the role of Professor X and co-starred with him in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, also shared a brief but poignant message on his Instagram.
“Wherever you’re going I know you’ll go boldly… I was lucky enough to work with Sir Patrick a number of times and he was always lovely to me. First as a fan and then as a colleague I count myself lucky to have gone with you for a short time,” McAvoy wrote.
Dafne Keen, who made her acting debut alongside Stewart as X-23 in 2017’s modern classic Logan, shared a lengthy remembrance to Stewart on her Instagram.
“I heard of Patrick’s passing earlier today, which is funny in a kismet kind of way, considering I was drafting an email to send him late last night, something I hadn’t done in quite some time,” Keen wrote.
“He was such a kind, genuine, funny, unique, caring and charming man. I remember his endless jokes, nurturing nature and colourful reading glasses. Every single day spent working by his side was an honour and a privilege I can’t quite believe I had. He was a walking master of his craft, and of life. One of the greatest of our time, on stage and on screen.”
“I have always looked up to him, and always will. As an actor and as a man. He had a wonderful way of wrapping every ancient lesson he imparted in wonder, fun and excitement. I will always remember his warmth and the respect he showed to everyone around him.”
“I will forever hold those months we spent together close to my heart, and will always think of him as a pivotal part of how I view the world around me.So rest in peace, you giant, you legend amongst men. The beautiful work, humanity and kindness you leave behind will live on forever.”
As McKellen mentioned in his statement, Stewart’s final performance will come next month when he reprises his role as Professor X one last time in Avengers: Doomsday, which hits theaters on December 18.