Watch: William Shatner, Hugh Jackman and More Stars Pay Tribute to Patrick Stewart After Death
Whoopi Goldberg‘s friendship with Patrick Stewart meant the world—and beyond—to her.
In remembering the Star Trek: The Next Generation alum after his Oct. 28 death following a brief battle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia, Goldberg expressed how precious her decades-long friendship with the late 86-year-old was.
“We lost a wonderful actor and a great human being this weekend. My friend, Sir Patrick Stewart, he passed away.” Goldberg—who played Guinan to his Captain Jean-Luc Picard—remarked on The View Nov. 2. “He is, in a word, irreplaceable, really.”
And their bond—which began in the ’80s when they costarred in the sci-fi series—was one that withstood the test of time. As the 70-year-old explained, “We went way back, and I adored him.”
In addition to their personal relationship, the Ghost actress recognized Stewart’s incomparable legacy in the public eye as photos from his iconic career flashed on screen, including a shot of his character Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men.
“As a performer, he could do everything,” Goldberg continued. “He could do drama, science fiction, comedy, and of course Shakespeare.”
As such, she treasured getting to work alongside the famed thespian again in 2022 after Stewart invited her to reprise her role in Star Trek: Picard during a visit to the morning show. Goldberg said the “amazing” memory makes her “just giggle all over the place.”
“Star Trek remains one of the great events in my life,” she explained of her time playing his onscreen confidante. “I’ll miss him dearly, but he’s up with a lot of great people, so I know he’s running around having fun.”
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
The comedian first celebrated her late friend’s life by sharing a photo of their Star Trek characters as action figures, captioned, “See you on the next holodeck @sirpatstew RIP.”
And Goldberg is in good company when it comes to appreciating Stewart’s one-of-a-kind humor and kindness. Boldly go and read more moving remembrances…
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