First the facts: On Wednesday 28th October, following a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia, actor Sir Patrick Stewart died in his home in Los Angeles. He was 86.
His career spanned over 60 years, and was remarkably widespread, with Shakespeare, Star Trek, and X-Men being just some of the many roles he effortlessly fit into. He was awarded two Olivier Awards and one Grammy Award, along with countless nominations for other awards. And in 2010, he was knighted for services to drama by Queen Elizabeth II.
And now he’s dead, and I can’t quite get my head around that. You can find biographies and descriptions of his life elsewhere online, but that’s not what I want to talk about. So here are my thoughts on Sir Patrick Stewart, may he rest in peace.