Belfast Actor Michael Patrick Dies at 35 After Inspiring Battle with Motor Neurone Disease
Tributes have poured in from across the theatre and television world following the death of Belfast actor Michael Patrick, who passed away on 7 April at the age of 35 after a three-year battle with motor neurone disease — a journey he faced with extraordinary courage, creativity, and humour that inspired all who knew him.
Patrick, who also performed under his birth name Michael Campbell, died peacefully at the Northern Ireland Hospice, where he had been receiving care for ten days. His wife Naomi announced his death on social media, describing him as an "inspiration" and a "titan of a ginger haired man" who lived a full and remarkable life.
A Career of Extraordinary Achievement
Despite being diagnosed with MND in February 2023, Patrick continued to act, write, and perform with a determination that left audiences and colleagues in awe. He trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London after studying physics at the University of Cambridge, and went on to build a career that spanned theatre, television, and advocacy.
His most celebrated theatrical achievement came in 2024, when he became the first actor with a disability to play Shakespeare's Richard III on the island of Ireland, performing the role from a wheelchair at Belfast's Lyric Theatre. The production, co-written with his long-time collaborator Oisín Kearney, reimagined Richard as a character with a terminal illness akin to MND — a deeply personal and artistically daring choice that earned him the Judges' Award at the Stage Awards in January 2025.
Television and Personal Legacy
Patrick appeared in several notable television productions, including BBC Northern Ireland's acclaimed drama Blue Lights, Game of Thrones, Krypton, and This Town. His autobiographical show My Left Nut — a deeply personal piece that drew on his father's own death from MND during Patrick's adolescence — was performed to great acclaim and later adapted for television.
In June 2025, he received the Overcoming Adversity Award at the Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards for his continued advocacy for MND awareness. In February 2026, he made the courageous decision to forgo a tracheostomy that could have prolonged his life but would have kept him hospitalised, choosing instead to spend his remaining time outside the hospital with his loved ones.
Tributes
Jimmy Fay, Executive Producer of the Lyric Theatre Belfast, described Patrick as a "great artist" who turned his struggles into "visceral and vibrant art." The MAC theatre said that everyone who encountered his work would "carry a piece of him with them."
Patrick is survived by his wife Naomi, his mother Pauline, siblings Kate, Maurice, and Hannah, and his nephew Micheál. His funeral is scheduled for Monday 13 April at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Carryduff, County Down.
Why He Mattered to Belfast
Michael Patrick was more than a talented actor — he was a symbol of Belfast's creative spirit and its capacity to produce artists of international stature. His work at the Lyric Theatre and beyond helped to put Northern Irish theatre on the world stage, and his courage in the face of a devastating illness inspired a generation of artists and audiences alike. Read more at RTÉ Culture.
