Strictly Come Dancing fans were left emotional after Sir Ian McKellen made a vocal cameo on the BBC show just days after the death of his close friend Sir Patrick Stewart.
Sir Patrick died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, at the age of 86 from Alzheimer's disease. The two actors were best known for their roles in the X-Men film series, with Sir Ian playing Magneto and Sir Patrick playing Professor Charles Xavier. They also worked together on X-Men: Days of Future Past and are set to appear in Avengers Doomsday next month.
Tribute from a close friend
Sir Ian led tributes online, calling his friend "the most respected and beloved actor of his generation" and noting he "was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire." In a statement posted to social media, Sir Ian said: "You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt."
He added: "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." Sir Ian also recalled cautioning Sir Patrick against taking on science-fiction roles, saying: "But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk—getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?'"
Halloween cameo on Strictly
On Sunday night, November 1, Sir Ian made a vocal cameo during the Strictly Halloween results show, in which three dancers were set to compete in the dance-off. During a special routine, the professional dancers performed a Halloween group dance to the song Dracula by Tame Impala, set at a drive-in movie theatre where Alexis Warr and Nikita Kuzmin were on a first date.
The performance took a terrifying turn when Nikita was revealed to be a vampire, leading into a tango-styled group routine. Sir Ian's voice could be heard reading an extract from Bram Stoker's Dracula, including the line: "I want you to believe in the things you cannot. There are darknesses in life and there is light in love. Even the darkest nights find its dawn."
Fans react on social media
Following the performance, many Strictly fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to praise both the performers and Sir Ian. @Herringbone_IC said: "Strictly including the voice of Dracula aka Sir Ian McKellen was so so…just YES. Made me think of Patrick tho." @xpinkpixiedollx added: "Ian Mckellen's voice ahhh @IanMcKellen."
@mybooktwt wrote: "Might have been their best pro performance ever!" @teenamassam stated: "Wowzers, the professional dance routine was so cool." @ClaudiaBoleyn commented: "YESSSS every year I wait for the Halloween pro dance and finally FINALLY there's another iconic one!!!!!" @DebbieBlackma14 posted: "Oh wow that group dance was brilliant."
