Sir Ian McKellen leads tributes to 'beloved actor' Sir Patrick Stewart after his death at 86

Actor Sir Patrick Stewart has died aged 86 following a "a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia", a post on his Instagram has said.

The post said he died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles and that he was in the loving care of his wife Sunny.

Famous for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek, Sir Patrick also appeared in X-Men, the Avengers and Logan.

Born in Yorkshire in 1940, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company before embarking on a six-decade career in film and television and appearing on Broadway.