Tributes have been pouring in for Sir Patrick Stewart since the heartbreaking news that the legendary Star Trek and X-Men star passed away on Wednesday at the age of 86.
Various people who worked with Stewart have been paying homage to the beloved actor, including Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Avengers: Doomsday directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and Hugh Jackman, who appeared alongside Sir Patrick multiple times in the X-Men movies.
Stewart's longtime friend and X-Men costar Sir Ian McKellen has now shared his eulogy.
McKellen and Stewart met long before they both appeared in the first X-Men movie, forging a close bond that spanned decades. They will reunite as Magneto and Professor X one last time in December's Avengers: Doomsday, which will mark Stewart's final on-screen performance.
“Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county 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. 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.
We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions. My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when 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?’ 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 marveled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (X-Men of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin. 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.
His farewell performance in Avengers: Doomsday is yet to be seen.”
Dafne Keen, who worked with Stewart in James Mangold's Logan, also shared some touching words.
“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. 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. He was a walking master of his craft, and of life. One of the greatest of our time, on stage and on screen. I have always looked up to him, and always will. As an actor and as a man. He had a wonderful way of wrapping every ancient lesson he imparted in wonder, fun and excitement.
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. So rest in peace, you giant, you legend amongst men. The beautiful work, humanity and kindness you leave behind will live on forever.”