Sir Patrick Stewart privately battled Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementia before the Star Trek and X-Men star died at 86
Sir Patrick Stewart, who died on Wednesday aged 86. He is to appear posthumously as Professor Xavier in Marvel's forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday.Patrick Stewart as Professor X, the role he reprised for *Avengers: Doomsday*, due for release on 18 December, in which he reunites with lifelong friend Ian McKellen.Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard, the role he won after Gene Roddenberry — who had initially refused to consider him — was ultimately forced to cast him.Sir Patrick Stewart with his wife, singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell, who cared for him at their Los Angeles home during his illness and was at his side when he died on Wednesday.
Stewart's family revealed he had kept the diagnosis entirely private, describing his final weeks as a "brief and poignant journey" spent surrounded by family, live music, prayer and laughter at his Los Angeles home.
Lewy body dementia — the second most common form of dementia — causes visual hallucinations and daily fluctuations in alertness unlike Alzheimer's.
Stewart's condition involved both Alzheimer's and LBD simultaneously, a combination doctors say produces distinct and unpredictable cognitive swings.
His family's statement said he died with 'the peaceful ease and reflection of his invincible grace.'
