Daniel Stewart, the son of the late Sir Patrick Stewart, has broken his silence following his father's death by sharing a poignant social media post. The 59-year-old, who followed in his father's acting footsteps, posted a photograph of the pair working together on stage. The image, shared just hours after it was confirmed the Star Trek actor had died at the age of 86, was left uncaptioned.
In the colour picture, Daniel smiles broadly as he gives his father, who sports his character's light grey hair and a moustache, a piggyback. The quarter-of-a-century-old memory was captured during their joint appearance in Johnson Over Jordan at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2001.
A strained relationship
Daniel's post came as his father spoke of his distress over his "non-existent" relationship with his two children in one of his final interviews, admitting that he thought about them daily. He admitted that he felt "significant grief" being "separated" from both Daniel and his daughter, Sophie, whom he shared with his first wife, Sheila Falconer.
He said of their relationship: "Given that I’m separated from my children now - we don’t have relationships - they have become very important. I never thought that this would happen, but both my children are in their 50s – they’re not children anymore, they’re adults. And my relationship with them is practically non-existent."
He added that "not a day goes by" that he isn't "pained by the memory of my children" and has taken responsibility for the estrangement.
Death and tributes
The Star Trek: The Next Generation and X-Men alum died on Monday October 26, at his home in Los Angeles following "a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia". He had not previously disclosed his condition.
His spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, confirmed the sad news. "He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all. We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace," she wrote in the heartbreaking update which was posted on Patrick's social media pages.
She revealed he died in the care of his loving wife, Sunny. The statement continued: "A son of Mirfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire, he travelled from the Royal Shakespeare Company to an equally acclaimed career spanning six decades on Broadway, the silver screen, and television."
A lasting legacy
It continued: "With indelible performances in every genre, he explored the human condition in all its poetic complexity and brought hope not only to the far reaches of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but into science fiction's most iconic and final frontier aboard the Starship Enterprise. His professional accomplishments were humbly matched by his philanthropy and activism on behalf of human rights, survivors of domestic violence, global refugees, veterans, mental health services, and animal welfare."
"Particularly his cherished foster pities, he was a knight chancellor, motorsport enthusiast, and lifelong Huddersfield football fan; he will be remembered for the dignity, compassion, and humanity he brought to every role in his art and life."
The statement ended with a poignant quote from the man himself, taken from his memoir Making It So. Referencing his Star Trek character, it read: "Like me, Jean-Luc has lived an unusual life that has taken him far beyond the bounds of normal human experience. But he is also someone who has remained true to his earthbound roots, for they are what gave him his identity. In the end, he feels the call of home, as do I."
