Star Trek star Patrick Stewart, who died on Wednesday after a battle with dementia, publicly spoke about his “practically non-existent” relationship with his kids.
In an October 2023 interview with the Independent, the actor, who shared son Daniel, 58, and daughter Sophie, 54, with ex-wife Sheila Falconer, revealed that the estranged bond with his kids caused him “significant grief” in the years leading up to his death.
The X-Men actor confessed at the time, “There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not pained by the memory of my children, who they were and by a sense of responsibility that they became who they are in part because of me and my influence or lack of influence on them.”
“I always put my acting work first, before my family.”
Elsewhere during the conversation, he was asked about his famous Star Trek character Captain Picard, whether he’d portrayed the role as the father figure he wished he’d had.
“I think it might have been more the one I wished I was,” he replied.
He also noted that it had been difficult to be the “kind of father he wanted to be.”
Patrick explained, “Given that I’m separated from my children now, we don’t have relationships, they have become very important,
He further shared, “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.”
It is pertinent to mention that Patrick’s spokesperson announced his death on Thursday, stating, “We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
The rep added, “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.”
