Tributes to Sir Patrick Stewart poured in on Thursday from the X-Men family he led on screen for more than two decades. Stewart's death at 86 was announced earlier in the day in a statement from his family.
Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine opposite Stewart's Professor Xavier, was among the first to pay tribute, posting a photo from the filming of Logan on Instagram. "We lost one of the greats of stage and screen today. And, in my book, a tremendous friend and man. I learned so much from him. I will miss you, Patrick Stewart, all of my days," Jackman wrote.
Dafne Keen, who made her film debut as Laura in Logan, replied to Jackman's post with her own tribute. "A giant amongst men. He will be so very missed ❤️❤️," she wrote.
Sir Ian McKellen, Stewart's Magneto across the X-Men films and his friend of 50 years, traced the man back to his Yorkshire roots, recalling how he once warned Stewart in a London street that the Star Trek offer might see him lost in Hollywood for years. "He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love," McKellen wrote. "His farewell performance in Avengers: Doomsday is yet to be seen."
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who got his start as an associate producer on the first X-Men film, remembered first seeing Stewart on that set after years of watching him as Captain Picard. "He turned out to be everything I had seen on screen and more: brilliant, charming, warm, generous, with a quiet strength and gravitas," Feige said in a statement. "It was a true privilege to know him and to work with him. He will be deeply missed."
Famke Janssen, who played Jean Grey opposite Stewart in four X-Men films and first worked with him decades earlier on Star Trek: The Next Generation, called him a legend in a statement. "One of the greats. I had the pleasure and honor of working with him over several decades… You will be missed, Patrick, but never forgotten," she said.
David Hayter, who wrote the first X-Men movie, remembered Stewart's kindness on set. "He was so kind to me on the X-MEN set. I was so touched to see his magical friendship with @IanMcKellen bloom on that film. A true gentleman. A wellspring of effortless charisma. A galaxy-spanning talent. Thank you for the memories, Professor," he wrote.
James Mangold, who directed Stewart in The Wolverine and Logan,. "RIP Sir Patrick. What an amazing life he led. As a brilliant and tireless actor from stage to screen to TV and back again, as a great collaborator, gentle soul and friend to everyone.. I miss him already," he wrote.
Anthony and Joe Russo, who directed Stewart in Avengers: Doomsday, called him one of their childhood heroes. "We've been lucky enough to work with some of our childhood heroes. And Sir Patrick Stewart will always be one of them," they wrote. "Thank you for entertaining all of us, sir. And for teaching us humanity, both on and off the screen."
Marvel has confirmed that Avengers: Doomsday will be Stewart's final on-screen performance, giving the tributes an added weight for the co-stars who appear alongside him in it. The film brings Stewart's Xavier back alongside Ian McKellen's Magneto and several other returning Fox-era X-Men stars.
