# Patrick Stewart dies at 86 after Alzheimer's battle

> The Star Trek and X-Men actor died in the care of his wife after a brief illness with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.
- Title: Patrick Stewart dies at 86 after Alzheimer's battle · ABC News
- Summary: The Star Trek and X-Men actor died in the care of his wife after a brief illness with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia. Patrick Stewart, the…
- Keywords: patrick stewart, star trek, x-men, actor death, alzheimer's disease, lewy body dementia, news, Patrick, Stewart, dies, Alzheimer's, battle
- Source: ABC News — https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/star-trek-star-patrick-stewart-dies-86/story?id=137684409
- Author: ABC News
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- Topics: patrick stewart, star trek, x-men, actor death, alzheimer's disease, lewy body dementia, news
## Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart dies
Patrick Stewart, known for Star Trek: The Next Generation and the X-Men film franchise, died at age eighty-six on Thursday, his representative announced.
## He died after brief illness
Stewart died in the loving care of his wife Sunny after a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, according to his spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak.
## What Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementia are
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, causing loss of memory, problem-solving and thinking abilities. It is progressive with no cure. Lewy body dementia causes complications with movement, behavior, thinking and mood.
## Early life and theater career
Born July thirteenth, nineteen forty, in Mirfield, England, Stewart's love of theater began early.An English teacher gave him Shakespeare and told him to perform.

> put a copy of Shakespeare in my hand [and] said, 'Now get up on your feet and perform,'
## Television and film breakthrough
Stewart made his television debut in nineteen sixty-seven on Coronation Street, a British soap opera.
## Cast as Captain Picard in nineteen eighty-seven
In nineteen eighty-seven, Stewart was cast as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, widely considered his most famous role.He played the starship captain for seven seasons from nineteen eighty-seven to nineteen ninety-four.
## Stewart's initial doubts about the role
Speaking with NPR in twenty twenty-two, Stewart said taking the American TV series role was terrifying because it meant shutting down his theater career just as it was taking off with leading Shakespearean roles and…

> I was unprepared for what being cast in an American TV series meant because I'd never done that before
## Professor X and later career
In two thousand, Stewart was cast as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film franchise, portraying the character in eight films over more than two decades.
## Hollywood honors and activism
Stewart received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in nineteen ninety-six and was immortalized outside the TCL Chinese Theater in January twenty twenty.
## Final role and survivors
Leading up to his death, Stewart returned as Professor X in Avengers: Doomsday, releasing December eighteenth, twenty twenty-six.
## Key takeaway

Patrick Stewart, the legendary Star Trek and X-Men actor, has died at eighty-six after a brief battle with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.