A sad day with the death of much loved British actor, Patrick Stewart, remembered as a commanding thespian, titan of the screen, champion of women and animal rights, and an all around lovely human by the scores who knew and worked alongside him.

I shall leave you with one last Patrick Stewart gem, a sweet soliloquy on B for Sesame Street, because it's meant to B!

If you want to read more, the Guardian's film critic Peter Bradshaw has written about Stewart as a commanding Shakespearean thespian who conquered superhero pop culture – and you can read the latest news here.

The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw on Patrick Stewart, the commanding Shakespearian thespian who conquered superhero pop culture.

No actor showed the commercial potential of blue-chip British classical training like Patrick Stewart. With style, technique and the most minutely self-aware, almost vaudevillian sense of mimicry, Shakespearean thesps can turn their hand to American movies and high-end American television and show the American method actors how it's done – sometimes, even, at the beginning of their screen careers, at a competitively low wage.

Another Guardian story from the archives is getting a lot of attention. It's a first person piece written by Patrick Stewart on the legacy of domestic violence.

It begins:

My father was, in many ways, a man of discipline, organisation and charisma - a regimental sergeant major no less. One of the very last men to be evacuated from Dunkirk, his third stripe was chalked on to his uniform by an officer when no more senior NCOs were left alive. Parachuted into Crete and Italy, both times under fire, he fought at Monte Casino and was twice mentioned in dispatches. A fellow soldier once told me, 'When your father marches on to the parade ground, the birds in the trees stop singing.'

In civilian life it was a different story. He was an angry, unhappy and frustrated man who was not able to control his emotions or his hands.

LeVar Burton, who played Geordi in Star Trek told the Guardian:

He was family. There is no other context in which to hold him that makes sense. I am lucky to have known and loved so many of the facets of a soul so rich in talent and generous of heart. Of all the dames and knights I've known, he was deep down the silliest.

Longtime friend and co-star has written a touching tribute to his friend, saying that:

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. 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. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.

We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren't in the same productions. My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in 'Star Trek'.

'But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk—getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?'. Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did for not just his devoted Trekkies but film and theatre audiences, who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes ('X-Men' of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London's West End and on Broadway.

Read the full post on X here.

Patrick Stewart had a lifelong love for dogs, and in his later years, he and his wife Sunny fostered several rescue dogs — particularly pit bulls, after he fell in love with a neighbour's pibble Sadie.

He campaigned with the ASPCA against dog fighting and "made it so" Jean-Luc Picard's dog was a rescued pit bull in Star Trek: Picard, saying they were "the sweetest, most empathic, most sensitive creatures that I've ever known".

In 2021 the ASPCA awarded him its Pit Bull Advocate and Protector award; today the organisation has remembered him as "our longtime friend and devoted animal advocate".

"We are deeply grateful for Patrick's friendship, compassion and the meaningful impact he made for animals throughout his life. His dedication to giving a voice to vulnerable animals will continue to inspire us and so many others."

Some sweet images here.

Probably the best thing you will watch today!

A classic from the Guardian's archives!

Actors on their favourite anecdotes of Patrick Stewart to mark his 80th birthday, six years go. Among them: on when he married Stewart to Sunny, "his mischievous, utterly reliable wife."

There's also , who says that Stewart is "everything you'd imagine: generous, a real actors' actor, loves being in a troupe of players and everything about the life of the theatre".

Read the full piece to find out about Patrick wearing silk stockings on a horse, or how his recitation of Wordsworth made some weep!

The actor and Stewart's "Lady Jane" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" co-star, Cary Elwes, says:

My heart is seriously heavy today. We have lost the marvelous #PatrickStewart. I first met Patrick on the set of Lady Jane back in 1984 and fell in love with him immediately. Not only was amiable and kind with a great sense of humor, he was incredible to work with. His command of the screen with his sheer presence and that unmistakable voice was a sight to behold. Almost a decade later when Mel and I were discussing who should play King Richard in Men in Tights, I told him it has to be Patrick. Fortunately for us he accepted and once again shared his joy and talent with us all. My now shattered heart goes out to Sunny, his children, friends and fans, of which I will always be one. Good night, sweet Prince.

Marina Sirtis, who played Deanna in Star Trek: The Next Generation, told the Guardian:

It is impossible for me to imagine the world without Patrick in it. It was the privilege of a lifetime to work with him, and having him as a friend was one of the greatest blessings of my life. My heart goes out to Sunny and the rest of his family.

English actor Malcolm McDowell, writes:

I've known Patrick since we were both members of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1965. He was always a massive talent but had to come to the United States to make his talent appreciated by a larger audience. He was wonderful as Picard, which always slightly amused him. But it also granted him the freedom to do work that he wanted to do. Most memorably would be his Macbeth. He will be missed by all his colleagues and fans around the world. It was a pleasure to have known and worked with him. RIP

Actor Kyle MacLachlan has also paid tribute, writing on Instagram:

My friend, we shared some memorable times…from the deserts of Arrakis to the mysterious jungles of Thailand and onto the New York stage.

I already miss you. You will always be my Gurney Halleck and I, your young pup. ❤️‍🩹🖖

Actor Rebecca Romijn, who played Mystique in the X-Men series, paid tribute on her Instagram with a video message and wrote:

What a gift to have been your friend.❤️ Rest in peace, dear Patrick.

Sesame Street posted a clip of Sir Patrick Stewart giving a spoof version of Hamlet's 'to be or not to be' soliloquy, addressed to the letter B.

The show wrote:

Sesame Workshop mourns the loss of Sir Patrick Stewart. Thank you for being our friend and for sharing your brilliance, joy, and kindness with the world. 💛💚

Anson Mount, who played Captain Pike in the TV series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, wrote:

I am mid-flight right now and I have just received the news that Sir Patrick Stewart has left us. Modern technology is both an impressive and an extremely cold thing. Internet databases have already begun referring to him in the past tense. "Sir Patrick Stewart was…" and such a surreal sight hangs heavy on my heart. Patrick was a friend. Not a close one, mind you, but it was a friendship, an "acquaintanceship" perhaps, that spanned more than half my life.

Patrick had presence, generosity and good grace to spare, and along with an incredible intellect, he brought those qualities not only to Jean Luc, but into a lived integrity that made him an exemplar for lost, young actors looking for a way. I'll always love him for it. I'm just sorry that was our one and only moment on stage together. Even our turn together in "Dr Strange" was pieced together in post. Why? Because he was shooting Star Trek: Picard" and they couldn't get him off the set. Jean Luc was if not his first love, his deepest. Oh well.

Perhaps in the next play, in the next theater, he'll hold a small, nameless roll for me and I will carry that spear with delight. Bravo, Patrick. I will miss you dearly. Until next time… Engage.