Saturday Night Live paid tribute to actor Patrick Stewart by re-airing a viral clip from his 1994 hosting appearance, three days after his passing. The actor died Wednesday at age 86 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.
Stewart, widely known for his roles as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film series, had a memorable hosting stint on SNL in 1994. A clip of his enthusiastic introduction for musical guests Salt-N-Pepa gained particular popularity in recent years.
At the conclusion of this past weekend's episode, SNL showed the popular clip and followed it with a title card in his memory.
Stewart's death was announced by his spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak. In a statement released Thursday, his family described him as being "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." They added, "We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace."
Despite his increasing public withdrawal in later years, Stewart expressed in a July interview with TV Line that he had no intention of retiring from acting. "I can't imagine ever officially 'retiring,'" he stated. "I'll always and forever be an actor." He spoke with the outlet about the 40th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation, reflecting on his time as Picard. "All of these anniversaries are wildly surreal for me, but the 40th anniversary of The Next Generation is particularly remarkable," he said. "I still remember my first day driving on to the Paramount lot like it was yesterday."
Stewart's final acting role will be posthumously released next month in Avengers: Doomsday, where he reprises his X-Men character, Charles Xavier.
He reflected on the later stages of his career, noting the diminishing number of roles for older actors but also expressing that he continued to receive "interesting offers" and enjoyed being "challenged by new work."
Stewart considered his role as Picard in the Star Trek universe to be "without question" the most significant of his career. He starred as the captain of the USS Enterprise for seven seasons and 176 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1987 to 1994. He reprised the role for the Paramount+ series Picard, which ran for three seasons from 2020 to 2023, a return he found delightful.
He expressed that the return of The Next Generation cast for the final season of Picard was "an absolutely joyous and satisfying experience," describing his castmates as "dear friends, but also exceptionally talented artists."
Stewart also commented on the enduring appeal of Star Trek, stating, "The enduring power of Star Trek and its values continues to reach new generations, and I’ll always cheer on new series and new adaptations of this story. Having fresh voices to tell these new stories is critical, and I’m thrilled any time I get to meet a new member of the Star Trek 'tribe'."
Stewart's last known public appearance was in November 2024, attending a Huddersfield Town football match.