Actor Patrick Stewart, star of 'Star Trek' and 'X-Men', dies aged 86

The legendary British actor Patrick Stewart has died. He was 86.

Best known to millions around the world for portraying Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films and Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the sci-fi television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequent films, Stewart spent much of his early career on stage.

A post on the actor's official Instagram and X accounts said: "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."

"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."

Stewart's career on stage and screen spanned nearly seven decades. It began in Mirfield, northern England, before he trained as an actor and later joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.

His theatrical roles ranged from Claudius to Macbeth. He also frequently performed a one-man adaptation of A Christmas Carol and appeared alongside his longtime friend Ian McKellen in West End and Broadway productions of Harold Pinter's No Man's Land and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.

Stewart received numerous honours throughout his career, including a Grammy and two Laurence Olivier Awards, as well as Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony nominations. He was also honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010.