Stage and screen actor Patrick Stewart, known for his role as Professor Charles Xavier in the long-running X-Men film series, has died at age 86.
“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,”
read a statement shared to the actor’s Instagram account on Thursday.
“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 continued,
“We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.”
The social media post reflected on Stewart’s six decades of fame, from the moment he started on stage at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Stewart is set to posthumously appear in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, reprising his role as Professor Xavier. He was also known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek franchise.
“His sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre,” the message read. “He explored the human condition in all its poetic complexity and brought hope not only to the far reaches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but into science fiction’s most iconic final frontier aboard the Starship Enterprise.”
He also had many smaller roles and guest appearances including recurring guest voice roles on the hit Fox animated shows ‘American Dad’ and ‘Family Guy’.
Many Tributes have been paid on social media
