Michael Patrick, an actor who appeared in “Game of Thrones,” has died three years after being diagnosed with motor neuron disease. He was 35.
Patrick’s wife, Naomi Sheehan, shared news of his death on Instagram on Tuesday, saying he died after being admitted to hospice care in Northern Ireland 10 days prior. He was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in February 2023.
“Words can’t describe how broken-hearted we are,” Sheehan captioned a photo of the couple on their wedding day. “He passed peacefully surrounded by family and friends.”
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, motor neuron disease, also called MND, is a group of conditions that destroy motor neurons, which control skeletal muscle activity such as walking, breathing, speaking, and swallowing.
‘There is no cure for most MNDs, although new treatments are under development, ” the website reads.
It remains unclear which specific type of motor neuron disease Patrick had. Patrick’s final social media post came on February 6, when he revealed that a neurologist had told him he had a year to live.
“It’s been said more than once that Mick was an inspiration to everyone who was privileged enough to come into contact with him, not just in the past few years during his illness but in every day of his life,” Sheehan said in the Instagram post. “Patrick lived a life as full as any human can live—joy, abundance of spirit, infectious laughter. A titan of a ginger-haired man.”
Patrick studied science at the University of Cambridge and performed with the Cambridge Footlights comedy troupe. He also appeared as a Wildling rioter in “The Broken Man” and acted in season 6 of the HBO series “Game of Thrones,” according to IMDb.
The actor and writer also co-wrote the BBC series “My Left Nut,” based on his personal teenage experiences, which won three Royal Television Society awards and the Summerhall Lustrum award, according to his website.
His additional acting credits include appearances in three episodes of “This Town”, a drama from “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight, “The Spectacular,” and “Blasts from the Past.”
In his native country, Northern Ireland, he is known for taking the role of Richard III in a wheelchair in Shakespeare’s “Richard III” according to BBC.
In the Instagram post, Sheehan shared a quote from Brendan Behan that Patrick lived: “The most important things to do in the world are to get something to eat, something to drink and somebody to love you.”
