Silver screen legend Patrick Stewart, who gained fans the world over for generations starring in iconic rolls from Star Trek’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise, has died. He was 86.

“We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia,” said a statement from Stewart’s rep. “He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all.”

“We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace,” the statement concluded.

A Shakespearean stage actor trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Stewart was Tony Award nominated for a 2008 production of Macbeth. He won a 1992 Drama Desk Award for A Christmas Carol and Olivier Awards for Carol, Antony and Cleopatra and Hamlet.

Stewart appeared in movie adaptations of Excalibur and Dune in the ’80s. In 1987 he began playing the role of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, which continued until Star Trek: Picard’s final season in 2023.

He also appeared in the X-Men franchise as Professor Charles Xavier, whose last appearance was in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Other film roles include Jeffrey, Conspiracy Theory, Green Room, The Kid Who Would Be King and a cameo in L.A. Story.

As a voice actor, he played spoken roles in The Prince of Egypt, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Chicken Little, The Sheep Detective, a TV movie Animal Farm, two episodes of The Simpsons, a recurring role on American Dad! since 2005 and narrated the Ted movies.

Stewart won a Grammy for his reading of Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf.

On television, he also starred in Blunt Talk, episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Hollow Crown, Frasier, a miniseries of Moby Dick and more.

Stewart released his memoir, Making It So, in 2023. He also advocated for Amnesty International, survivors of domestic violence, Combat Stress and other charitable causes.

Stewart’s social media accounts request memorial contributions be made to Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund and Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources.

UPI contributed to this article.