Patrick Stewart did something few would dare. He delivered his own eulogy 11 years before his death
'This may come as a shock to some of you, but I am over 50 now, by exactly a quarter of a century.'
Hollywood and fans around the world are mourning the loss of Sir Patrick Stewart. The English actor passed away at 86 years old on October 28, 2026, after a brief journey with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia. But when he was 75, Stewart did something few people had the guts to do: deliver his own eulogy. In 2015, 11 years before his passing, he appeared on the Just for Laughs Montreal stage to give himself a proper send-off. The video was posted by Just For Laughs (@justforlaughs) on September 10, 2026. It drew over 204,500 views, over 5,000 likes, and 500 comments.
Delivering his eulogy at 75
Sir Patrick Stewart introduced himself on stage, starting with his age. He said, "This may come as a shock to some of you, but I am over 50 now, by exactly a quarter of a century... Your sympathy will help me get through the rest of the year." While backstage, Stewart said he began wondering what would happen if that night turned out to be his final public appearance. He wondered how he would like to be remembered and decided to deliver his own eulogy.
An 'objectophile'
Sir Patrick Stewart opened with, "Sir Patrick Stewart was more than just an actor. He was the greatest actor ever. He was also a husband and a father and a friend." The next line had the room roar with laughter as he claimed to be an "objectophile." He briefly talked about his school days at Mirfield Secondary Modern School, where he "honed his craft," and his baritone voice. He then joked about joining the Royal Shakespeare Company, where, in his telling, he “won the heart of the British public” and broke through to a national audience.
Lastly, before he concluded his eulogy, he said, "Sir Patrick's final appearance before his untimely demise was perhaps his most cherished, appearing in the 2015 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal." He delivered the last punchline by saying, "In addition to winning the audience over with his wit, warmth, and humanity, Patrick also realized his final wish. Mere seconds before you, the audience, entered, he rubbed his unwashed g------- on each and every seat in Montreal's Place des Arts."
Humor and death
Death can be an uncomfortable topic for many, but Sir Patrick Stewart approached it with humor and jokes. A 2020 study led by Andrea Lambert South examined conversations among 424 participants and found six recurring ways people used humor while discussing death and dying. In fact, they used different sorts of humor to talk about mortality. These include gallows humor, self-deprecating humor, tension-relieving humor, entertainment humor, confused or awkward laughter, and group humor.
A 2023 Statista poll (from October 31 - November 10, 2023) among more than 1,900 respondents found that 41% of American adults aged 45 and older were "very comfortable" discussing death and dying, while 3% were not comfortable at all. 35% of people aged 45 to 54 said they were very comfortable. The numbers went up for people aged 55 to 64 (41%) and those between 65 and 74 years old (46%). The results generally showed greater comfort among older age groups, although the percentage dipped slightly among respondents aged 75 and older (43%). Sir Patrick Stewart was 75 years old when he delivered his own eulogy. He showed the audience that it was never too early to find humor in one's own mortality.
'Sir Ian better recite it'
Netizens revisited the video to pay their respects and condolences to the legendary actor. @duffbeer989 commented, "Alas, today is that day." @alysonann4985 wrote, "I know this video is over 10 years old, but hit my feed after finding out he passed just now. In the words of Stewart himself: 'Godspeed Sir Patrick Stewart, you will be missed!'"
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