Culture & Entertainment · Film & TV · 44 outlets (L 10 · C 13 · R 13 · 8 not rated)
Patrick Stewart, Star Trek and X-Men actor, dies at 86
Sir Patrick Stewart, the British actor best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, has died at 86.[4, 19, 26] His longtime spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, said Stewart died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles following "a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia."[7, 10] Born in 1940 in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England, Stewart was a classically trained Shakespearean stage actor who labored in relative obscurity for two decades before breaking big in "Star Trek: The Next Generation."[20, 44, 46]
His career spanned more than 60 years, from the Royal Shakespeare Company to television and film.[3, 18] Ian McKellen paid tribute to his longtime friend, recalling their nearly 50-year friendship and remembering advising Stewart against taking the Star Trek role.[29]
William Shatner, Seth MacFarlane and other former Enterprise crewmates also shared tributes.[2] The Washington Times reported Stewart died Thursday, while most outlets reported he died Wednesday.[7, 35]
Why it matters Tributes from Ian McKellen, William Shatner, Seth MacFarlane and other Hollywood figures are pouring in for the actor whose career spanned more than six decades.[2, 11, 18 +1]
Covered by The New York Times, NBC News, Fox News and 41 more
Read first Patrick Stewart, Known for 'Star Trek' and 'X-Men' Roles, Dies at 86
Where accounts differ (1)
- Earlier and later reportsThe Washington Times reported Stewart died Thursday from Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, while The Daily Beast, Yahoo News and others reported he died Wednesday, Oct. 28, at his Los Angeles home.[7, 24, 35]
- The Daily Beast · Leans left · Oct 29, 4:11 p.m. ET Legendary ‘Star Trek’ and ‘X-Men’ Star Dies at 86
MARIO ANZUONI / REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni Actor Patrick Stewart has died following “a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia,” his spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak told The Hollywood…
- The Washington Times · Right · Oct 30, 11:06 a.m. ET Ian McKellen, 'Star Trek' franchise and Hollywood pay tribute to Patrick Stewart
Accolades from Hollywood are pouring in for British actor Patrick Stewart, who died at 86 on Thursday from Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.
- The Daily Beast · Leans left · Oct 29, 4:11 p.m. ET Legendary ‘Star Trek’ and ‘X-Men’ Star Dies at 86
How balanced is this coverage?
Of the 36 rated outlets that covered it, 10 are left of center (1 of them in the Left group), 13 are center and 13 are right of center (12 of them in the Right group). 8 more are not rated.
- Left: Crooks and Liars (−1.26).
- Leans left: Salon (−1.20), NewsOne (−1.18), HuffPost (−1.06), VICE (−0.93), MS NOW (−0.76), The New York Times (−0.70), The Guardian (−0.70), NPR (−0.68), The Daily Beast (−0.64).
- Center: Vanity Fair (−0.61), NBC News (−0.49), PBS NewsHour (−0.48), TIME (−0.40), Newsweek (−0.30), Fortune (−0.25), ABC News (−0.19), CBS News (−0.14), Business Insider (−0.09), Mediaite (+0.04), Yahoo News (+0.07), UPI (+0.17), Forbes (+0.19).
- Leans right: New York Post (+0.64).
- Right: The Washington Times (+1.27), WorldNetDaily (+1.44), Fox News (+1.52), IJR (+1.52), Blaze Media (+1.71), RedState (+1.87), The Daily Caller (+1.91), Breitbart (+2.03), The Western Journal (+2.13), One America News Network (+2.69), Conservative Review (+2.76), The Right Scoop (+3.11).
Not rated Al Jazeera, BBC News, CNET, Fast Company, Los Angeles Times, NewsNation, Sky News, The Verge. Not placed: they have no lean score.
Each dot is an outlet that covered it, placed by its audience-lean score (Eady et al. 2025), which measures who shares its links, not how accurate it is. The ticks under the line are all 113 rated outlets Tare reads.