Kenneth Mitchell, the Canadian-born actor who played a reliable cast of characters on the reboot of “Star Trek,” has passed away after a prolonged battle with ALS.
According to a statement on his Instagram page, the 49-year-old died Sunday after struggling with his illness for five-and-a-half years. He faced “awful challenges” during that time but managed to “rise above each one with grace and commitment,” his post reads.
“He lived by the principle that each day is a gift and that we never walk alone. His life is a shining example of how full one can be when you live with love, compassion, humour, inclusion, and community. Ken was an inspirational work of art to all the hearts he touched,” it adds.
Born in Toronto in 1974, Mitchell made his way to Los Angeles and carved a reputation for playing reliable supporting characters. He nabbed his first big-budget role as hockey player Ralph Cox in the 2004 film “Miracle” about the U.S. men’s hockey team defeating the Soviet reigning champions at the 1980 Olympics. His portrayal as the dogged Cox, the last to be cut from the team before its final roster, earned him a regular role in the CBS series “Jericho” about survival in a post-apocalyptic Kansas town.
In recent years, Mitchell played the roles of three recurring Klingon characters in “Star Trek: Discovery,” appearing in the show’s first three seasons from 2017 to 2021. In 2020, he divulged to PEOPLE Magazine that he had been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
“The moment that they told us it was [ALS], it was like I was in my own movie,” Mitchell told PEOPLE. “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.”
Just several months before, the actor was confined to a powered wheelchair and spun his condition into the role of a season 4 Star Trek character who had lost the use of his voice.
Above all, his Instagram post adds, Mitchell was “uncle joker, younger brother, Susan’s partner, and more than anything else, a proud father.” He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Susan May Pratt, daughter Lilah and son Kallum, and parents Diane and David Mitchell, among others.
Mitchell requested that any gifts in his memory be directed toward efforts to cure ALS.
“Ken is forever grateful for the massive amounts of love and endless support he received from his community along his journey. Especially the courage, resilience, and strength displayed by his extraordinary wife, family and friends,” reads his post.
