Patrick Stewart, 'Star Trek' legend, dies at 86 - USA Today

Patrick Stewart, the veteran actor of screen and stage who became beloved for his roles in "Star Trek" and "X-Men," has died at the age of 86.

A statement posted to the British actor's social media Thursday, Oct. 29, revealed he died at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday, Oct. 28, while "in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia."

"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. We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace," the statement read.

"A son of Mirfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire, he travelled from the Royal Shakespeare Company to an equally acclaimed career spanning six decades on Broadway, the silver screen and television," the statement continued. "His sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre. 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.

"His professional accomplishments were humbly matched by his philanthropy and activism on behalf of human rights, survivors of domestic violence, global refugees, veterans' mental health services, and animal welfare, particularly his cherished foster pitties. He was a Knight, Chancellor, motor sport enthusiast, and lifelong Huddersfield Football fan. He will be remembered for the dignity, compassion and humanity he brought to every role – in his art and life."

It concluded with a quote from his autobiographical book, "Making It So: A Memoir."

"Like me, Jean-Luc has lived an unusual life that has taken him far beyond the bounds of normal human experience. But he is also someone who has remained true to his earthbound roots, for they are what gave him his identity. In the end, he feels the call of home, as do I."

Stewart landed his breakout role as Jean-Luc Picard in the "Star Trek" series "The Next Generation" in the late 1980s. At the time, the franchise's creator Gene Roddenberry didn't want the actor starring as the 24th-century explorer, which was made clear during a disastrous 10-minute first meeting at Roddenberry's Hollywood Hills home and in heated casting discussions afterward.

"There were weeks of fierce arguments, before [Roddenberry] stepped aside, which is extraordinary," Stewart told USA TODAY in 2023.

He went on to make a name for himself appearing in all seven seasons until the show's conclusion in 1994, and later reprised the role for three seasons of the rebooted "Star Trek: Picard" in 2020.

The connection between the star and his seminal character was so great that Stewart wanted to end the series with Picard at total peace with a wife, just as Stewart was content with his third wife in real life, musician Sunny Ozell. The writers crafted a short scene with Picard eyeing his vineyard, a dog at his side before a woman’s voice is heard calling, “Jean-Luc? Supper’s ready!"

But in the time crunch of shooting the final "Picard" episode, Stewart offered to hold off on the scene.

"I am the person who is to blame for the 'Picard' series not ending like that. On the final shooting day, we had so much work to do, I thought, 'We can come back and do that moment anytime.' But we never came back and shot the scene.

Stewart loved the final scene, however, which shows Picard toasting his comrades with Shakespeare during a rowdy bar session.

"That is so spot-on accurate for the quality of life that we as actors and crew had with the show," he said. "The raising of glasses, laughing and joking. This was our world."