Patrick Stewart, who played Professor Charles Xavier across more than two decades of X-Men films and brought the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has died. He was 86. Stewart died Wednesday, October 28, at his home in Los Angeles, according to a statement posted to his official social media on Thursday.
His death comes seven weeks before Avengers: Doomsday, where he returns as Professor X alongside Ian McKellen’s Magneto, opens in theaters on December 18.
Marvel Studios paid tribute Thursday, calling him “a singular talent, a generous collaborator, and a true gentleman” and saying he defined Charles Xavier “for generations of fans.”
All of us at Marvel Studios are deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart. 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.
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) October 29, 2026
The statement said he died “in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.” His family asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations go to the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s caregiver resources program.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) October 29, 2026
Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund
https://alzresearch.org/giving/
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources
https://alzfdn.org/donate/
Photo Credit: Tommy Garcia
The statement also pointed to his Marvel work, saying he “brought hope not only to the far reaches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but into science fiction’s most iconic final frontier aboard the Starship Enterprise.”
Professor X In The MCU
Stewart first played Charles Xavier in 2000’s X-Men and stayed with the role through Logan in 2017, a run of 20th Century Fox films that now sits in Disney’s library. He made his MCU debut in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, playing a version of Xavier from Earth-838 and a member of that world’s Illuminati.
Marvel Studios confirmed in March 2025 that Stewart would return for Avengers: Doomsday, one of several actors from the Fox X-Men films joining the cast along with McKellen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming and Kelsey Grammer. Filming took place in England in 2025. In January, the third Doomsday teaser put Stewart’s Xavier and McKellen’s Magneto back together over a game of chess.
The Russo brothers’ film, with Robert Downey Jr. as Victor von Doom, is still set for December 18. Marvel’s latest Avengers: Doomsday teaser arrived just last week.
His Disney Animation Roles
Stewart also lent his voice to Disney animation. He played Mr. Woolensworth in Walt Disney Feature Animation’s Chicken Little in 2005, alongside Zach Braff, Joan Cusack and Don Knotts. A year later he voiced the Great Prince of the Forest, Bambi’s father, in the direct-to-video sequel Bambi II.
A Career Of More Than Six Decades
Born July 13, 1940, in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England, Stewart joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. He became an international star as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran for seven seasons from 1987 to 1994, and went on to play Picard in four feature films. He returned to the role in Star Trek: Picard, which ran from 2020 to 2023.
His family’s statement remembered him as a Knight, a Chancellor, a motor sport enthusiast and a lifelong fan of Huddersfield’s football club.
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