Sir Ian McKellen is grieving the death of his close friend and longtime collaborator, Sir Patrick Stewart, and is mourning the loss of a legend.
McKellen remembered Stewart as someone who was open about his feelings, which made him a man to depend on, admire, and, in McKellen’s case, love.
The “Lord of the Rings” star recalled meeting Stewart “half a century ago.” His first vivid memory of his friend, though, was urging him not to accept the role in “Star Trek” that would become iconic, because he feared it would endanger Stewart’s esteemed stage career. McKellen also thanked Stewart on behalf of “Trekkies” and “film and theatre audiences” who got to enjoy his talent.
The two actors’ friendship lasted decades, and they co-starred in “X-Men” in 2000. McKellen even officiated Stewart’s 2013 wedding to Sunny Ozell, held in a Mexican restaurant. Stewart once described the spontaneous ceremony on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” explaining that they discovered McKellen couldn’t use his ministerial credentials in Nevada, where they were marrying.
So they invited McKellen, two guests, and a theater director to dinner at a Mexican restaurant instead.
As TMZ previously reported, Stewart died at 86 after a brief battle with Alzheimer’s.
