West End theatres will dim their lights for Star Trek actor Sir Patrick Stewart as McKellen and Dench lead tributes

From the Newshound archive · first published 31 October 2026.

Sir Patrick Stewart, the Yorkshire-born actor who rose from a hand-to-mouth childhood in Mirfield to become Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' and Professor Xavier in the 'X-Men' franchise, died at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday aged 86 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia. Dame Judi Dench, 91, called the news a "huge shock", while Ian McKellen described Stewart as "the most respected and beloved actor of his generation."

Stewart's estranged son Daniel, 59, responded wordlessly on social media, posting a photo of himself giving his father a piggyback on stage during 'Johnson Over Jordan' in 2001.

Domestic abuse charities praised his legacy after he spent decades as an Amnesty International campaigner, having witnessed his father beat his mother throughout his childhood in the 1940s.

West End theatres will dim their lights at 7pm on Tuesday, November 3, in a two-minute tribute to the actor, who spent 16 years with the Royal Shakespeare Company.