Patrick Stewart, the Star Trek legend whose portrayal of Captain Jean-Luc Picard reshaped science fiction on screen, has died in Los Angeles aged 86 after living with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.

He died on Wednesday 28 October at his home in Los Angeles, according to a statement posted on his official Instagram account on Thursday. It described 'a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia' and said he had been in the loving care of his wife, the singer Sunny Ozell.

His longtime spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, confirmed the news. The statement did not say when he was diagnosed, and he had not spoken publicly about the conditions.

He is survived by Ozell, whom he married in 2013, his son, the actor Daniel Stewart, and his daughter, Sophie.

Tributes From Co-Stars and Colleagues

Ian McKellen, a friend of decades who played Magneto opposite Stewart's Xavier, said Stewart 'wore his heart on his sleeve'.

Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine, called him 'a tremendous friend and man' in a post on Instagram. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige also praised Stewart's portrayal of Xavier.

Understanding Alzheimer's and Lewy Body Dementia

Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia are both progressive brain conditions that affect memory, thinking and everyday functioning. Lewy body dementia can also cause movement problems similar to those seen in Parkinson's disease, along with changes in alertness and visual hallucinations.

Michelle Dyson, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said Stewart's death was a reminder of the impact dementia has on people and families around the world. The charity estimates that almost one million people in the UK live with dementia, with about one in 10 cases involving Lewy body dementia.

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From Shakespeare to the Enterprise

Born in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, on 13 July 1940, Stewart trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966.

He was known chiefly as a stage actor when he was cast as Picard in 1987, after the producer Robert Justman saw him reading Shakespeare at a lecture at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Stewart later told The Hollywood Reporter that the series creator, Gene Roddenberry, initially did not want 'a bald, middle-aged Englishman' in the role.

The series ran for seven seasons and was followed by four films, and Stewart returned to the character in Star Trek: Picard. Episodes such as The Inner Light and The Best of Both Worlds, in which Picard is assimilated by the Borg, are often ranked among the finest in the franchise.

He played Xavier across the X-Men films and appears in Avengers: Doomsday, due for release on 18 December, which Marvel Studios has confirmed will be his final on-screen appearance. Speaking before his death, he said he could not imagine retiring.

On stage, he appeared alongside McKellen in a 2009 West End production of Waiting for Godot. He was knighted for services to drama in 2010.

Away from acting, Stewart spoke publicly about his father's violence towards his mother and became an ambassador for the domestic abuse charity Refuge. He was also a long-time supporter of Huddersfield Town.

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