A beloved member of the Star Trek and Marvel universes has passed away.
On February 25, beloved actor Kenneth Mitchell’s family released a statement confirming Mitchell’s passing. Over the last five years, Kenneth Mitchell lived with and battled ALS.
“With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Kenneth Alexander Mitchell, beloved father, husband, brother, uncle, son and dear friend,” the statement began. “Ken was widely known as an actor in many films and television shows.”
Kenneth Mitchell, ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ actor, dies at 49
In “Star Trek: Discovery,” Mr. Mitchell played Klingon characters Kol, Kol-Sha and Tenavik, as well as Aurellio, a character who used a hovercraft wheelchair. In an Instagram post, he described Aurellio’s creation as a “special collaboration with my Discovery family that injected me with heaps of Love & Inspiration during my tough battle with ALS.”
Mr. Mitchell also appeared in the film “Captain Marvel” (2019), in which he played Joseph Danvers, the father to superhero Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, and he had roles in the TV series “Nancy Drew” and “The Detectives.”
In 2020, Mr. Mitchell opened up about his ALS diagnosis in an emotional interview with People, in which he shared that he was using a wheelchair.
“The moment that they told us it was [ALS], it was like I was in my own movie,” he said, holding back tears. “That’s what it felt like, like I was watching that scene where someone is being told that they have a terminal illness. It was just a complete disbelief, a shock.”
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ALS affects the nerve cells that make the muscles function in the upper and lower parts of the body, and causes the cells to stop working and die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This rare neurological disease is also known as motor neuron disease or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The CDC estimates that there are about 30,000 cases of ALS in the United States.
Last August, Mr. Mitchell marked five years living with ALS, thanking his friends and family in an Instagram post. “There is so much beauty in that. This disease is absolutely horrific … yet despite all the suffering, there is so much to be grateful for,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself on a beach.
Mr. Mitchell was born Nov. 25, 1974, in Toronto. He is survived by his wife, the actress Susan May Pratt; their two children, Lilah and Kallum; his parents, Diane and David Mitchell; and a brother.
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