Patrick Stewart, the sophisticated actor who brought a Shakespearean touch to Star Trek and X-Men as he made an otherworldly transformation from British stage veteran to sci-fi icon, has died. He was 86.

Stewart died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles following “a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia,” longtime spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak announced.

“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 wrote. “We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace.”

  • Rhaedas@fedia.io
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    5 days ago

    The mention that his illness struggle was brief is the absolute only bright spot of today’s news. And even that sucks, but best for his family.

    I think he had declined a little over the last years, but watching interviews of him years ago about Star Trek… he got it. He understood the bigger message behind the scifi parts of the story. Others did too to some degree, but watching him talk about it was gold. And to think that he walked into the show in the beginning and thought it was both a mistake and a short-lived thing. He was a big part of why it did so well.

  • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    I was hoping it was a hoax when I saw the community name. RIP as you explore a frontier many have travelled before but none have told about.