Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen lead Patrick Stewart tributes as Hollywood mourns legend

Hollywood is mourning a legend today as Hugh Jackman, William Shatner and Ian McKellen react to the news that Patrick Stewart has died.

The Star Trek and X-Men died on Wednesday following a brief battle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. He was 86.

Fans waited hours for McKellen’s tribute, which was as emotional and touching as everyone anticipated, given he’d known and worked with Stewart for 50 years.

McKellen, who played Magneto opposite Stewart’s Professor X in the X-Men films, recalled the legendary actor’s love of his home county Yorkshire in the north of England, which he “loved to the end”.

“You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt,” McKellen wrote on Instagram on Friday.

“Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.”

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Star Trek and X-Men star Patrick Stewart dies aged 86

He then shifted focus to their many decades of sharing the screen and stage after first crossing paths as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company “half a century ago”.

They weren’t in the same productions, but when he bumped into Stewart on a street in London a few years later, they had a conversation that would go on to shape Stewart’s career.

“He told me about an offer to take over a leading part in Star Trek. ‘But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk – getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?’” McKellen recalled saying.

“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did for not just his devoted Trekkies but film and theatre audiences, who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (X-Men of course) and in great classical plays.”

McKellen also touched on Stewart’s extensive theatre work, from plays by Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, and Peter Shaffer, to performances at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.

But the most important detail he saved for last: Stewart’s family and legacy.

“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin,” he wrote of Stewart’s wife, Sunny Ozell.

“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”

McKellen concluded the post with a reminder that Stewart’s final performance in Avengers: Doomsday is yet to be seen, a detail which will surely drive up ticket sales for the hotly anticipated Marvel flick.

Hugh Jackman kicked off a flood of touching social media tributes earlier in the day with an emotional message posted to his Instagram account.

“We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today. And, in my book, a tremendous friend and man,” Jackman wrote alongside two photos of him with Stewart.

“I learned so much from him. I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days.”

He first worked with Stewart in 2000, when they starred in X-Men together, and they continued to collaborate on the mutant films for more than 20 years.

William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series, also honoured Stewart, who played Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

“What a heartbreaking week it has been. Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor,” Shatner wrote alongside a picture of him and Stewart standing together in a garden.

“From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did.

“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.”

Actor Wil Wheaton, who acted alongside Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation and later starred in The Big Bang Theory, shared an old photo of him with Stewart next to the simple caption: “Godspeed, Captain.”

Actress Jeri Ryan, who played former Borg drone Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Picard, wrote in her tribute: “Ouch. This one hurts.Rest well, Patrick.”

She also shared a series of snaps with the late actor, including several of them smiling behind the scenes on the set of Star Trek: Picard.

Kim Cattrall, who is best known for her role as Samantha in Sex And The City but also acted in the 1991 flick fil Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, remembered Stewart in an Instagram tribute of her own.

“Dearest Patrick. Such sad news and a huge loss for us all. RIP,” she wrote with a broken heart emoji.

Back to the Future star and Star Trek director Lea Thompson shared personal snaps with the screen legend and thanked him for supporting her career.

“This astonishing actor was kind enough to take a chance on me as a director,” she wrote.

“Always hardworking intelligent and so very good you could play the whole scene on him.

“Patrick Stewart was indeed a Sir. To sir with love. #rip you were one of a kind.”

Actor Josh Gad, who has long been a fan of the Star Trek universe, penned his own tribute to Stewart and referenced the recent death of fellow Star Trek actor Walter Koenig.

“In a week where the Star Trek community has already lost one icon, we now lose one of the greatest stars to not only grace an Enterprise, but also the stage and screen,” he wrote of Stewart.

“Whether waxing poetic as Jean Luc, sparring at chess with Magneto or ferociously bringing the words of Shakespeare to life on the boards, he was a man for all seasons with a voice that will go down as one of the greatest we’ve ever had.

“He has boldly gone on indeed. Here’s to the next undiscovered country. RIP.”

Actor and comedian Seth MacFarlane, who worked with Stewart on American Dad!, Family Guy, and Ted, remembered Stewart as a colleague and friend.

“Patrick was one of those icons who we somehow all took for granted would always be with us,” he wrote.

“He was that rare actor who could take any bit of dialogue and elevate it, making a good writer sound great, and a great writer sound masterful. He was also as humble as they come.”

MacFarlane recalled exchanging emails with the screen legend on day one of a film and being shocked when Stewart confessed he always walked onto a new set feeling like a total novice.

“My stunned reaction was the same as anyone’s would be. I said, ‘Patrick, if you feel that way, the rest of us are screwed,’” MacFarlane wrote.

“We have lost a legendary actor today, and for many of us, a good friend. He will be deeply missed by the entire planet.”

Minnie Driver, who starred in The Wilde Wedding with Stewart in 2017, honoured him with a post of her own.

“Is this year some kind of portal to a much, much better place that all the greatest people know about and so have gently made their exits ?” she wrote alongside a photo of them together.

“Dearest Patrick. Who always had the best advice, the funniest story, the patience to listen. I’m just bereft. All love to your family, and you, in my heart forever.”

Star Trek actor George Takei wrote on Threads: “Fans across the world mourn the passing of a true and irreplaceable legend.

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

“Our hearts are heavy, indeed. Rest in the heavens, Captain.”

Marvel director Kevin Feige recalled the first time he saw Stewart on the set of the first X-Men film in 2000 in a statement to The Times.

“After years of knowing him as the inimitable Captain Picard, I was in awe — and he turned out to be everything I had seen on screen and more: brilliant, charming, warm, generous, with a quiet strength and gravitas,” he said.

“Away from the cameras, he was even more remarkable, with a wonderfully sharp sense of humour. 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.”

Actor Kyle MacLachlan shared the screen with Stewart in the original Dune film and remembered him fondly in an Instagram tribute.

“My friend, we shared some memorable times…from the deserts of Arrakis to the mysterious jungles of Thailand and onto the New York stage,” he wrote.

“I already miss you. You will always be my Gurney Halleck and I, your young pup.”

Star Trek and X-Men actress Rebecca Romijn, who played Mystique in the original mutant films, posted a video message recorded shortly after she heard the news her “dear friend” had passed.

“I feel so grateful to have known him for the last 25 years, and to have been in his orbit for the last 25 years, both as a fellow mutant and as a fellow member of Starfleet,” she said.

“He was positively delicious, hilarious, naughty, [had an] incredible sense of humour ... [and] has always been an inspiration.”

Romijn ended the clip with a message of love and condolences to his family, saying she’ll miss Stewart dearly.

Fellow Star Trek and X-Men star Famke Janssen called Stewart a legend and “one of the greats” in a statement to Page Six.

“I had the pleasure and honor of working with him over several decades,” she told Page Six in a statement.

“First as Kamala opposite him as Captain Picard in Startrek: The Next Generation and later on as Jean Grey with Patrick embodying Professor X in the X-Men movies.

“You will be missed, Patrick, but never forgotten.”

Actress Dafne Keen was only 11 when she met Stewart on the set of Logan, where they formed a beautiful bond that lasted long after filming wrapped.

In her own tribute to the late star, she revealed she had been drafting an email to him just hours before she learned he was gone.

“I heard of Patrick’s passing earlier today, which is funny in a kismet kind of way, considering I was drafting an email to send him late last night, something I hadn’t done in quite some time,” she wrote on Instagram, alongside a black and white photo of them together.

“He was such a kind, genuine, funny, unique, caring and charming man. I remember his endless jokes, nurturing nature and colourful reading glasses.

“Every single day spent working by his side was an honour and a privilege I can’t quite believe I had.”

Keen, now 21, called Stewart a walking master of his craft and one of the greatest stage and screen talents of this generation, and said she will always look up to him as both an actor and a man.

“He had a wonderful way of wrapping every ancient lesson he imparted in wonder, fun and excitement,” she wrote.

“I will always remember his warmth and the respect he showed to everyone around him.

“I will forever hold those months we spent together close to my heart, and will always think of him as a pivotal part of how I view the world around me.”

Comedian Ricky Gervais looked back on his time working with Stewart on his TV series Extras with nothing but love and posted a clip of one of their scenes together on social media.

“RIP Patrick Stewart. What an actor. I still can’t believe he agreed to do this scene. And he didn’t even mind when I ruined every take. Legend,” he wrote.

Marvel Studios honoured the legendary actor with a rare photo of him in his upcoming role from Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to hit cinemas in December.

“All of us at Marvel Studios are deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart,” the post read.

“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. 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.“

The official Star Trek Instagram account also paid tribute to Stewart with a series of photos of him as Captain Picard through the years.

“A voice. A presence. A captain unlike any other,” the caption read.

“Sir Patrick Stewart gave generations of fans an icon who inspired us to look toward the stars.

“Today, we celebrate an extraordinary life and an enduring legacy. Thank you, Sir Patrick.”

The tributes are expected to keep flowing as the world comes to terms with the beloved actor’s death.

Stewart is survived by singer-songwriter wife Ozell and two children from his first marriage to Sheila Falconer.

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