Ian McKellen honors late friend Sir Patrick Stewart, recalling decades-long partnership

Sir Ian McKellen issued a statement on social media following the death of Sir Patrick Stewart, who died at age 86 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. McKellen described Stewart as “the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic.”

The two actors first met at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stewart joining in 1966 and McKellen in 1974, and later worked together on several stage productions, including a West End run of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot in 2009 and a Broadway run in 2013-14.

Their on-screen collaboration began with the 2000 X-Men film, where Stewart played Professor Charles Xavier and McKellen portrayed Magneto. Both noted that the franchise gave them ample time to converse off-set, with Stewart recalling that the adjoining trailers allowed the pair to “talk and reminisce.”

McKellen also thanked Stewart for his contributions to both popular and classical audiences, citing performances in Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett productions. Both actors were knighted by Queen Elizabeth II—McKellen in 1991 and Stewart in 2010—and maintained separate but prominent film careers, including Stewart’s role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trekk and McKellen’s portrayal of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series.

“He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love,” McKellen wrote.

Stewart’s support for LGBTQ+ rights and his friendship with McKellen were also noted, with Stewart having asked McKellen to officiate his 2013 wedding to singer-songwriter Sunny Ozell.