‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Star Ian McKellen Leads a Musical Tribute to Patrick Stewart, and the Song Choice Is Heartbreakingly Perfect

Few friendships in acting have lasted as long or been as loved as the one between Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. So it was always going to be an emotional moment when McKellen’s musical tribute to Patrick Stewart arrived at a London charity event this week. The song he chose turned a fundraiser into a public goodbye.

Stewart died on October 28 at his Los Angeles home, aged 86. His spokesperson announced the news the following day, saying he had passed after a “brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Tributes poured in from the worlds of ‘Star Trek’ and ‘X-Men’, with Hugh Jackman, William Shatner and Marvel Studios among those paying their respects.

McKellen, a friend of roughly 50 years, led those tributes on social media. He described Stewart as a man to rely on, admire and love, praised his Yorkshire roots, and recalled urging him to think twice before taking the role of Jean-Luc Picard. Days later, he took the tribute from the screen to the stage.

Sir Ian McKellen lead a musical tribute for the late Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday in London. https://t.co/D2fNmqPnWu

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 3, 2026

The occasion was the ‘Raise the Roof!’ gala at the Victoria Palace Theatre, which supports the £26 million Centenary Appeal for Denville Hall. McKellen, dressed in a dark suit and a bright yellow scarf, stepped forward without a microphone and invited the room to sing along. He led the audience in ‘Underneath the Arches’, a 1932 music-hall favorite made famous by Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen.

The choice was deeply personal. He explained that he and Stewart sang the number at the end of their performances in ‘Waiting for Godot’, in which they played the tramps, in London and on Broadway. McKellen closed his introduction by asking everyone to remember Stewart as they sang.

The moment was captured on video by the Instagram account Wheelie Good Show and has since spread widely online. Afterward, McKellen joined other performers for a group number.

Denville Hall opened on July 19, 1926 as a haven of rest for retired actors and actresses, and it is now open to anyone working in the entertainment professions. Its Centenary Appeal aims to fund two new buildings alongside improvements to the existing site and grounds. McKellen is a president of the appeal alongside Helen Mirren and Daniel Radcliffe.

Stewart was a Denville Hall ambassador too. He was named alongside McKellen, Mirren, Derek Jacobi, Charles Dance and others in the lineup announced for the charity’s ‘Theatre Gives Day’ West End fundraiser in July. That made the gala an especially fitting place for McKellen to remember him.

The pair’s collaboration stretched across decades and mediums. On screen, they led the original ‘X-Men’ franchise as Magneto and Professor Charles Xavier. On stage, they shared Broadway in 2013 with ‘No Man’s Land’ and ‘Waiting for Godot’, the latter being the production McKellen’s song recalled.

McKellen’s tribute also touched on Stewart’s pride in being appointed Chancellor of Huddersfield University. It painted a picture of an actor who never lost his love of the theater, whatever Hollywood offered.

There is still one more big-screen chapter to come. Stewart is expected to appear as Professor X in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, which has been described as his final film appearance, while McKellen is also listed as Magneto in the film. West End theatres are also set to dim their lights for 2 minutes on November 3 in his honor.

For fans, the gala clip has become a reminder that the bond between the two friends was as much about warmth and mischief as it was about prestige. A simple music-hall singalong, led by one old friend for another, may be one of the most fitting farewells yet.

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