Patrick Stewart, Star Trek and X-Men Actor, Dies at 86

Patrick Stewart has died at the age of 86, The Guardian reported. He died at his home in Los Angeles.

The Hollywood Reporter reported that Kelly Bush Novak, Stewart's longtime spokesperson, announced the death and that he died on Wednesday. The Guardian said his death followed Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, a form of dementia.

Stewart was best known to television audiences as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which premiered in September 1987. The series was created by Gene Roddenberry, and Brent Spiner played the android Data. Robert Justman was one of its producers.

Stewart also became a familiar face to film audiences as Professor X in the X-Men films, playing the role in three movies. Years earlier, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Justman saw Stewart at a reading with a UCLA acting class in 1986 and recommended him for the part that would define much of his career.

Stewart's role in Star Trek extended beyond acting. In 2021, The Hollywood Reporter reported that he brought in his own writer on Star Trek: First Contact after clashes over the story.

In 2012, the wheelchair Stewart used as Professor X sold at auction for $135,300, made up of a $110,000 bid and a $25,300 premium.