Skip to contentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.Join todayAlready a member? Log inBrittney DonovanThursday 29 October 2026 21:06 GMTPatrick Stewart attends the premiere of CBS All Access' Star Trek: Picard at ArcLight Cinerama Dome on January 13, 2020 in Hollywood, California (Getty)Patrick Stewart, who died on Wednesday at age 86, shot to fame when he originated the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987.The sci-fi TV series ran for seven years and led to films Star Trek Generations in 1994 and Star Trek: First Contact in 1996. However, Patrick later said the success of the show hindered him as directors didn’t want to cast the captain of the Starship Enterprise in their films.Patrick later told the Hollywood Reporter that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry took a dislike to him almost immediately, saying he did not “want a bald, middle-aged Englishman” to play the role.Stewart said in 2020: ”Somewhere in the cellar of Paramount Pictures, there’s a Post-it note which says, ‘I do not want to hear Patrick Stewart’s name mentioned again ever,’ signed Gene Roddenberry.”Stewart died in Los Angeles following “a brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy Body Dementia, spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak said.In fullPatrick Stewart death updates: Star Trek and X-Men star dies aged 86More bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in