Star Trek legend Sir Patrick Stewart dies aged 86 after brief dementia battle

Pop culture icon and Star Trek legend Sir Patrick Stewart has died, aged 86.

The news was announced on social media this morning that the actor died in his Los Angeles home yesterday following “a brief battle with Alzheimer’s 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 all of us.”

Stewart’s portrayal of Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation cemented the actor as a household name.

He was also well known for his role as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men universe, and decades of theatre performances across the UK and the United States.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.