Sir Ian McKellen has paid tribute to his close friend and long-time collaborator Sir Patrick Stewart, who has died aged 86 following a brief battle with Alzheimer’s.
McKellen remembered the actor as a man whose openness made him dependable and worthy of admiration. “He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love,” he said.
The pair had known each other for half a century. McKellen recalled that one of his earliest strong memories of Stewart was advising him against accepting the role in Star Trek, fearing the television series could damage his prestigious stage career.
He later expressed gratitude on behalf of Trekkies, as well as film and theatre audiences, who were able to see Stewart’s talents on screen and stage.
The actors’ friendship continued across several decades, including a shared appearance in the X-Men films in 2000.
McKellen also played a personal role in Stewart’s marriage to Sunny Ozell, officiating at their wedding in a Mexican restaurant in 2013.
Stewart previously described the spontaneous ceremony during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! He said the couple discovered McKellen could not use his ministry credentials in Nevada, where they were due to marry, so they invited him, two guests and a theatre director to dinner at a Mexican restaurant instead.
