Patrick Stewart Dead at 86

This one deserves a straight telling. Sir Patrick Stewart, the British actor whose Captain Picard led the Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation and whose Professor Charles Xavier anchored the X-Men films, has died at 86. His spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, says he died Wednesday at his Los Angeles home, and the statement names Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia as the cause.

The statement called his illness "a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia" and said, "We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face." Picard first took command in 1987, and Queen Elizabeth II knighted Stewart in 2010, according to the NY Post and Daily Wire.

He is survived by his wife, singer Sunny Ozell, and his children. William Shatner and Hugh Jackman are among the colleagues who have paid tribute. Our prayers are with his family and with the fans who grew up on his work.

“a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia”Kelly Bush Novak, Stewart's spokesperson, via Fox News

“We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face”Stewart's spokesperson statement, via NY Post