Ian McKellen recently gave another emotional tribute to Patrick Stewart. Stewart passed away on October 28, 2026, at the age of 86. At a recent event, McKellen paid a musical tribute to his late co-star and friend through song.
Sir Ian McKellen remembers his longtime friend Patrick Stewart through song
Sir Ian McKellen paid a musical tribute to Patrick Stewart at the Denville Hall fundraiser. “I’m buggered if I’m going to use a microphone! When we played the tramps in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Pat Stewart and I sang a song here in London and on Broadway at the end of the show,” McKellen said. The Richard III star continued, “And we’re going to sing it now for you. I hope you’ll join in. Now I’ve reminded you of some of the words. And as we sing it, let’s remember Pat Stewart, a great man.”
Previously, McKellen penned a heartfelt statement after Stewart’s death. “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end,” the statement began. The actor continued, “You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues.”
McKellen added that Stewart “wore his heart on his sleeve.” This, “made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.” He shared he and Stewart “first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago.” McKellen further showered praise on Stewart’s storied acting career. The late actor’s final performance will be in theaters later this year as he reprises his role as Charles Xavier in Avengers: Doomsday.
