Sir Patrick Stewart, the legendary actor best known for his roles in Star Trek and X Men, has died aged 86.
The actor's death was confirmed with a statement posted on his various social media accounts, which said that Stewart passed away at his home in Los Angeles.
"We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia", a statement read on his Instagram page.
"He has been 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".
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Elsewhere, Marvel Studios paid tribute to Sir Patrick Stewart, praising his ability to portray Charles Xavier 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", their statement added. "Our hearts go out to his wife Sunny, his children, his friends, and the countless fans around the world whose lives he touched with his art".
During a 60 year career in movies, TV and theatre, including 16 years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Sir Patrick Stewart won a Grammy Award for best spoken world album for children, Prokofiev: Peter And The Wolf in 1996.
Stewart also earned four Emmy award nominations, as well as two supporting actor Olivier Awards for Shakespeare plays, the first for Antony And Cleopatra in 1979 and the second for Hamlet in 2009.
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Speaking of Star Trek, another actor, Walter Koenig, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov, passed away earlier this week aged 90, with co star, William Shatner paying tribute to him.
More on this from Nova here.
