Tributes pour in for X-Men, Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart

He embodied the best of Shakespeare, then boldly went where no one had gone before. It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. Patrick Stewart, beloved stage, TV, and film actor, died at his home in L.A. on Wednesday after a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, according to his spokesperson. Just sad because he was just... Such a nice and genuine human being, and he was a pleasure to... meet and to see and to work with. Born in northern England to very humble roots, Stewart fell in love with theater in his youth. In the 1960s, he became a celebrated member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He commanded the stage, but it was Star Trek The Next Generation that was his big break, starring as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Somebody with a Shakespearean pedigree, this amazing bald pate, and this incredible presence showed up on the small screen. He gained a whole new generation of fans as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, lent his voice to animations, documentaries, and causes close to his heart. I woke up to the reality that... There were other conditions attached to celebrity status. The opportunity to speak about things that I really cared about, other than show business. In many respects, it's me giving back. Now there's a wave of tributes from fans and loved ones. His X-Men co-star Hugh Jackman wrote, We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today. Marvel Studios... Sir Patrick brought Professor Charles Xavier to life with extraordinary grace, intelligence, and humanity. And his Star Trek predecessor, William Shatner, said he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did. I believe generations to come, they will look back at this absolutely remarkable, this treasure of a person, this knight of the realm, this genius of acting that was Patrick Stewart. Stewart Stewart is survived by his wife and And his two adult children. He was 86 years old. Makda Gebreselassie, CBC News, Toronto.