Patrick Stewart, STAR TREK captain and X-MEN professor, dies at 86

Sir Patrick Stewart, the Shakespearean stage titan who became Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor Charles Xavier — two of the most beloved figures in modern genre fiction — has died. He was 86. 

Stewart died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, according to a post on his official Instagram account. The post said he died after a brief battle with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and requests that in place of "memorial contributions may be made to Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund and Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources."

Born July 13, 1940, in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, Stewart came up through British repertory theater and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he spent more than a decade building a reputation as one of the finest classical actors of his generation. He had no idea a bald head, a Starfleet uniform, and a single command — “Make it so” — would make him a household name. That came in 1987, when he was cast as Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

Let’s be real about what he did. In 1987, a classically trained RSC veteran put on a Starfleet uniform in TNG, and a generation of fans got a captain who solved problems with diplomacy, curiosity, and a perfectly timed “Engage.” Picard was the dad we wanted, the professor we needed, and the guy who could make a Shakespeare quote land in the middle of a Borg crisis. He was the leadership porn we all need, especially in times like these.

He took Picard to the big screen in Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis. Then he came back for Star Trek: Picard in 2020, because the captain still had stories left to tell, and so did Patrick in his end-of-life memoir, Make It So.

And then there’s the other iconic bald head. As Professor X in the X-Men films, Stewart gave Marvel’s mutant movement its moral center, and his chemistry with Sir Ian McKellen’s Magneto is still the gold standard for hero-versus-friend-turned-foe. and that bond never stopped at the screen, the two men were real-life best friends, and the internet adored every minute of it. His final turn in Logan (2017) still guts us.

Beyond the two roles that defined him, Stewart worked constantly — in David Lynch's Dune, in animation and comedy (American Dad!, Extras, Blunt Talk), and on stage until late in his career. 

Knighted in 2010 for his work as an actor, he was also an outspoken advocate for survivors of domestic violence, drawing on his own childhood, and for LGBTQ+ rights, as a vocal supporter of marriage equality.

Fair winds, Captain. And thank you.