Sir Patrick Stewart, the actor beloved by generations as Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor Charles Xavier, has died at 86. According to Deadline, he died on October 28, 2026, at his home in Los Angeles following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. His final on-screen performance will come in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday, due in theaters this December.
How Patrick Stewart died
CNN reported that Stewart’s death was confirmed in a statement posted to his official Instagram account by his longtime spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak. The announcement was shared on October 29, the day after he died.
According to ABC News, the statement described his illness as “a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.” The Associated Press reported that the diagnoses had not been previously disclosed.
ABC News also reported that Stewart died “in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny,” the singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell, whom he married in 2013. Ian McKellen officiated their wedding ceremony.
The statement offered a glimpse of his final days. “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,” Bush Novak said, via ABC News.
His final role: Professor X in Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel Studios confirmed in an official statement on its website that Avengers: Doomsday will be Stewart’s final on-screen performance. The film is set for release on December 18, 2026.
In it, Stewart reprises the role of Professor X, a character he first played in the original X-Men in 2000. People reported that his return was confirmed in March 2025, alongside Ian McKellen as Magneto. Stewart then appeared in the film’s first trailer featuring the X-Men in January 2026, according to People.
Over the years, Stewart played Charles Xavier in seven X-Men films through Logan in 2017, and again in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022. Doomsday will now be the last time audiences see him in the role.
Stewart had made clear that acting was something he never planned to give up. In an interview with TV Insider earlier this year, cited by People, he said: “I can’t imagine ever officially ‘retiring.’ I’ll always and forever be an actor.”
What his co-stars are saying
Tributes began arriving soon after the news was shared.
Hugh Jackman posted on Instagram on October 29, TMZ reported. “We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today. And, in my book, a tremendous friend and man. I learned so much from him. I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days,” Jackman wrote. The two also worked together on The Sheep Detectives (2026), in which Stewart voiced Sir Ritchfield.
William Shatner shared his own tribute on social media, according to The Wrap. “What a heartbreaking week it has been. Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work. My heart goes out to Sunny and his family. He will be deeply missed,” Shatner wrote.
Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, recalled their first meeting in a statement reported by The Hollywood Reporter. “I’ll never forget the first time I saw Sir Patrick Stewart on the set of the first X-Men. After years of knowing him as the inimitable Captain Picard, I was in awe,” Feige said. He added that Stewart “turned out to be everything I had seen on screen and more: brilliant, charming, warm, generous, with a quiet strength and gravitas.” Feige also called it “a true privilege to know him and to work with him.”
Marvel Studios posted an official tribute on October 29, The Wrap reported. “All of us at Marvel Studios are deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart. Sir Patrick brought Professor Charles Xavier to life with extraordinary grace, intelligence, and humanity, defining the character for generations of fans, from X-Men to Logan to Avengers: Doomsday,” the studio said.
Seth MacFarlane, who worked with Stewart on Family Guy, American Dad! and Ted, paid tribute on Instagram on October 29, according to The Hollywood Reporter, describing him as “as humble as they come.” As reported by ABC News, MacFarlane also said: “He was that rare actor who could take any bit of dialogue and elevate it, making a good writer sound great, and a great writer sound masterful.”
A life on stage and screen
Stewart was born in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England, in 1940. The Associated Press noted that he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2010.
For many fans, he will always be Captain Picard. CNN reported that Star Trek: The Next Generation ran from 1987 to 1994, and that his most recent turn as Picard came in the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Picard, which ran from 2020 to 2023.
He is survived by his wife, Sunny. His final performance arrives in theaters on December 18.
