The entertainment industry has lost a legend after it was announced Sir Patrick Stewart died on October 28th, 2026, at his home in Los Angeles. Best known for portraying Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men series, Sir Patrick had a long career working in classical theatre, TV, and international film.
His family confirmed that Sir Patrick had suffered from a short but touching battle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
Although we do not know when Sir Patrick was diagnosed with these conditions, or what symptoms he experienced, we can learn a little more about what they involve.
Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia are progressive diseases that affect the brain. Both conditions can cause memory loss but are caused by different proteins.
If someone has both conditions, they are said to have mixed pathology, which can make diagnosing the conditions more challenging.
Pathology
Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common cause of dementia. It causes an abnormal build up of proteins called amyloid-beta and tau in the brain.
Amyloid-Beta build up occurs outside the nerve cells, forming amyloid plaques. Tau build up occurs inside the nerve cells, forming neurofibrillary tangles. This stops the brain working correctly and causes damage to the nerve cells ,which can result in cell death.
Common Symptoms
Alzheimer’s disease tends to develop gradually. Early symptoms include memory loss. Often people will struggle to remember things they have recently learned. They may ask the same question multiple times, forget where they have placed items, or struggle to recognise things they know.
As the disease progresses, they may show symptoms such as poor judgment, difficulty communicating, confusion with time and place, and difficulty performing everyday tasks.
No one will experience the progression of the disease in the same way.
Pathology
Abnormal deposits of a protein called Alpha-synuclein accumulate in the brain. This creates Lewy Bodies. These interfere with the normal functioning of cells and affect areas responsible for cognitive functions, motor functions, personality, and sleeping.
These proteins can disrupt chemicals such as dopamine and acetylcholine within the brain causing a variety of symptoms.
Common Symptoms
Lewy Body Dementia can often present very differently to Alzheimer’s, as memory loss may not be an obvious symptom. Common symptoms include:
Cognitive difficulties – In Lewy Body Dementia, early cognitive difficulties may be more noticeable in attention, problem-solving, decision-making and visuospatial abilities than in memory. Individuals may also struggle with tasks requiring planning and organisation.
Fluctuations in cognition – The individual can experience confusion with sudden changes in attention span, level of awareness and clarity. They can appear very alert and then suddenly confused and sleepy.
Visual hallucinations – Seeing people, animals or objects that aren’t actually there. These can be very realistic.
Motor problems – Stiffness, tremors, slowness and balance issues. Like Parkinson’s disease.
REM sleep behaviour disorder – Acting out dreams whilst sleeping. They may shout and kick etc.
They can also experience depression, anxiety, changes in blood pressure, constipation and difficulties performing everyday tasks.
There are two types of Lewy Body Dementia. It is an umbrella term.
Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) and Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD). If they occur before or alongside the Parkinsonian symptoms they have dementia with Lewy Bodies.
The distinction between the two conditions is based on when dementia symptoms develop in relation to Parkinsonian motor symptoms. If cognitive decline develops before, alongside, or within one year of the onset of motor symptoms, the condition is classified as dementia with Lewy Bodies. If dementia develops more than one year after the onset of established Parkinsonian motor symptoms, it is classified as Parkinson’s Disease Dementia.
Knowing what type one has can help with understanding and caring.
Mixed pathology occurs when people have both Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy Body Dementia. As both illnesses can cause memory issues and cause problems with thinking and everyday activities it can be difficult to determine which is causing the symptoms.
However, having both can affect how dementia presents. Everyone will experience a different level of decline.
Sir Patrick Stewart’s family confirmed he had both conditions. However, no further details about his symptoms have been shared.
Lewy Body Dementia can be hard to diagnose as symptoms can be similar to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions.
Doctors will generally look at your medical history, cognitive changes, movement problems, sleep issues and personality changes. Tests may be performed including neurological tests, cognition tests, blood tests and brain scans to help determine if it is LBD or another cause.
There is no single test to determine if someone has Lewy Body Dementia whilst they are still alive. Doctors will use a variety of tests to help make a diagnosis. Definite diagnosis can only be made on post mortem.
At the moment there is no cure for both Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body Dementia. However, treatments and support can help.
This can vary depending on the individual but can include medications, Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy, sleep aids, cognitive support and regular check-ups. Support for the carer is also very important.
People with Lewy Body Dementia can have severe sensitivity to antipsychotic medications. These drugs can worsen confusion, movement problems and drowsiness, and may cause potentially life-threatening reactions. Typical antipsychotics, such as haloperidol, are generally not recommended for people with Lewy Body Dementia. Therefore, these medications must be used with particular caution under medical supervision.
Sir Patrick Stewart was also an advocate for ending domestic violence. The support came from his own experience of growing up in an abusive household where his father abused his mother.
He proactively shared his story to help others identify and speak up against domestic abuse. He was a Patron for Refuge, a UK based charity helping women and children who have experienced domestic violence
Sir Patrick’s legacy goes beyond the characters he played in movies as he had a lot of empathy for those whose voices were often silenced.
References:
4. National Institute on Aging. “What Is Lewy Body Dementia?” National Institutes of Health. Accessed October 30, 2026. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-lewy-body-dementia.
5. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “Lewy Body Dementia.” National Institutes of Health. Accessed October 30, 2026. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/lewy-body-dementia.
6. National Health Service. “Dementia with Lewy Bodies.” Accessed October 30, 2026. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia-with-lewy-bodies/.
7. McKeith, Ian G., et al. “Diagnosis and Management of Dementia with Lewy Bodies: Fourth Consensus Report of the DLB Consortium.” Neurology 89, no. 1 (2017): 88–100. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000004058
8. Indian Council of Medical Research. “Standard Treatment Workflow for the Management of Dementia.” Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. https://www.icmr.gov.in/icmrobject/uploads/STWs/1725952345_neurology_dementia.pdf
9. Shaji, K. S., P. T. Sivakumar, G. Prasad Rao, and Neelanjana Paul. “Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Dementia.” Indian Journal of Psychiatry 60, suppl. 3 (2018): S312–28. https://indianpsychiatricsociety.org/clinical-practice-guidelines-for-management-of-dementia/
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