William Shatner & More Pay Tribute to Patrick Stewart After Death

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Honoring Patrick Stewart: Make it so.

The Star Trek icon died on Oct. 28 at age 86 after a brief battle with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, with many in Hollywood mourning the loss.

"Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor," Star Trek: The Original Series' William Shatner wrote on Instagram Oct. 29. "From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did."

He continued, "Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work."

It was a sentiment shared by Shatner's castmate George Takei, who wrote on his own Instagram, "Our hearts are heavy, indeed. Rest in the heavens, Captain." 

"As Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart took the starship Enterprise to places it had never gone before," he shared, "and he inspired a whole next generation of star-gazers who looked longingly ahead to a brighter future for all humanity."

While Star Trek: Discovery actor Wilson Cruz said an Instagram Story that he's been "devastated" by the news of Stewart's death, Stewart's Star Trek: The Next Generation costar Jonathan Frakes wrote on his own account, “Rest in peace my friend.”

Added Kim Cattrall, who starred in 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, "Dearest Patrick. Such sad news and a huge loss for us all. RIP."

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Stewart's Marvel Studios family was equally heartbroken by his passing. As the company shared in an Oct. 29 statement, "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. He was a singular talent, a generous collaborator, and a true gentleman."

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige also paid tribute to Stewart, remembering him as "brilliant, charming, warm, generous, with a quiet strength and gravitas" when they first worked together in 2000's X-Men.

"Away from the cameras, he was even more remarkable, with a wonderfully sharp sense of humor," he said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "It was a true privilege to know him and to work with him. His legacy lives on not only in decades of extraordinary work, but in the many, many people he mentored. He will be deeply missed.”

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Stewart passed away at his Los Angeles home and was "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," according to a statement shared on his social media pages Oct. 29.

“We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace," his loved ones continued. "His sonorous voice and singular talent will forever be synonymous with indelible performances in every genre. He explored the human condition in all its poetic complexity and brought hope not only to the far reaches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but into science fiction's most iconic final frontier aboard the Starship Enterprise."

CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Stewart's family ended their statement with a excerpt from the X-Men actor's 2023 memoir Making It So. "'Like me, Jean-Luc has lived an unusual life that has taken him far beyond the bounds of normal human experience," the passage reads. "'But he is also someone who has remained true to his earthbound roots, for they are what gave him his identity.'"

The excerpt added, "'In the end, he feels the call of home, as do I.'"

Read on for a closer at Stewart's life in photos.

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1967

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1970

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1974

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1975

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1979

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1987

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1988

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

1989

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1990

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

1995

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1996

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2000

JOHN STILLWELL / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

2001

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2002

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2006

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2009

EUGENE MIM/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

2010

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2013

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2014

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2016

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2018

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2019

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2021

Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Peabody Awards

2024

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