Sir Patrick Stewart was last pictured watching his beloved football team Huddersfield Town two years before his death as he retreated from public life during secret Alzheimer's battle

Sir Patrick Stewart made his final public appearance at a Huddersfield Town football match, two years before his death.Stewart's death at age 86 was confirmed in a statement published to Instagram on Thursday.He had largely retreated from public life in the final two years of his life, with his family confirming that he had passed away following 'a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia'.On November 9 2024, the actor was pictured watching his beloved football club, who he had supported since he was seven years old, play against Crawley at Broadfield Stadium.A beaming Stewart wore a Huddersfield Town scarf as he enjoyed the match from the stands In a heartbreaking tribute on Thursday, Huddersfield Town described the star as 'a titan of his craft and a legend and hero to millions worldwide'. Sir Patrick Stewart made his final public appearance at a Huddersfield Town football match, two years before his death On November 9 2024 the actor was pictured watching his beloved football club, who he had supported since he was seven-years-old, play against Crawley'Fiercely proud of his Yorkshire roots, Sir Patrick was a Terrier in every sense, and we're proud to have counted him as one of our own.'Three weeks before the Huddersfield match, the actor was seen attending a special screening in Los Angeles for The Piano Lesson, a movie directed by Denzel Washington’s son Malcolm Washington.The night before, he attended a screening of Gladiator II where he was pictured with the film's star Paul Mescal. Since those final outings, Stewart was not photographed at any public events.His family wrote in their statement on Thursday that the star '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.'Despite his retreat from public life, Stewart made clear he had no plans to call it quits on his acting career in what would be his final interview.'I can't imagine ever officially "retiring",' the beloved actor told TV Line on July 7, 2026. 'I'll always and forever be an actor.'Stewart spoke to the outlet about the 40th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation, on which he famously starred as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. In a heartbreaking tribute on Thursday, Huddersfield Town described the star as 'a titan of his craft and a legend and hero to millions worldwide' Stewart retreated from public life in the final two years of his life, with his family confirming that he had passed away following 'a brief journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia''All of these anniversaries are wildly surreal for me, but the 40th anniversary of The Next Generation is particularly remarkable,' he said.Stewart added, 'I still remember my first day driving onto the Paramount lot like it was yesterday.'Stewart's final acting role will come posthumously in next month's Avengers: Doomsday, in which he portrays his longtime X-Men character Charles Xavier.He spoke in the interview about the latter stages of his career, saying, 'As any actor my age will tell you, there are fewer and fewer available roles as we get older.'That being said, I still continue to receive interesting offers and I love being challenged by new work.'In the interview, Stewart said portraying Picard in the Star Trek universe was 'without question', the 'most significant role' he took on in his career. Three weeks before the Huddersfield match, the actor was seen attending a October 19 screening in Los Angeles for The Piano Lesson, a movie directed by Denzel Washington’s son He also attended a screening of Gladiator II on October 18 2024 where he was pictured with the film's star Paul Mescal. Since those final outings, Stewart was not photographed at any public eventsHe added, 'I will be forever grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of what is now such a historic franchise.'Stewart portrayed the role of the USS Enterprise leader over seven seasons and 176 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1987-1994.'The final scene of The Next Generation has always felt like such a beautiful send-off, but of course we then filmed multiple movies after the series wrapped,' Stewart told TV Line.The Star Trek movies he was referring to included 1994's Generations, 1996's First Contact, 1998's Insurrection, and 2002's Nemesis.After nearly two decades, he picked up the role again on the Paramount+ show Picard, which had a three-season run from 2020-2023.'I truly thought Nemesis was my last time playing Jean-Luc,' Stewart said, 'but then along came Picard - and I'm delighted with how that series ended.'He added that The Next Generation cast coming back for the final season of Picard 'made for an absolutely joyous and satisfying experience'.Stewart said: 'They’re all such dear friends, but also exceptionally talented artists.'He said he enjoyed meeting and collaborating with other performers in the Star Trek universe: '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".'