Ian McKellen has remembered Patrick Stewart as a trusted friend whose honesty and attachment to his Yorkshire upbringing remained central to his life. In a tribute posted to social media on Thursday, McKellen reflected on their decades-long relationship following the announcement that Stewart had died at 86.
Stewart died Wednesday at his Los Angeles home after a brief period with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia, according to his longtime spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak. Announcing his death, she described him as surrounded by family and friends, with live music, prayer, laughter and tears accompanying his final days. Her statement also recalled the peaceful expression on his face.
For McKellen, Stewart’s identity began with the northern English county where he was born and raised. He wrote that Yorkshire could be heard in Stewart’s voice and recognized in the direct way he expressed his thoughts and feelings. That openness, McKellen said, made Stewart “a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.”
The actors first encountered each other as young members of the Royal Shakespeare Company about half a century ago, although they were working in different productions. McKellen recalled a later meeting on a central London street when Stewart told him about an offer for a leading role in Star Trek. At the time, McKellen questioned whether accepting it might take Stewart away from British theatre for years.
Looking back, McKellen welcomed Stewart’s decision, saying audiences across television, film and theatre benefited from it. He recalled how Stewart used his international fame to pursue both cinema projects and classical stage roles. Those performances included works by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett in Stratford-upon-Avon, London’s West End and on Broadway.
Their own screen partnership included leading roles in 20th Century Fox’s original X-Men franchise, with McKellen playing Magneto, also known as Erik Lehnsherr, and Stewart portraying Professor Charles Xavier. They also appeared together in West End and Broadway productions. Both will return to their X-Men roles in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday this December, which McKellen described as Stewart’s farewell performance.
McKellen also remembered Stewart’s life in his adopted home of America, where he met Sunny, whom he credited with caring for Stewart through illness and health. Despite living abroad, Stewart retained his connection to Yorkshire. McKellen described his appointment as chancellor of Huddersfield University as his proudest achievement. Others paying tribute included Kevin Feige, William Shatner, Seth MacFarlane, Hugh Jackman, Minnie Driver, Rebecca Romijn and Famke Janssen.
