Sir Ian McKellen turned a Broadway memory into a musical tribute for Sir Patrick Stewart at a London charity gala this week. The memory dates back to Waiting for Godot, the play that kept the two friends on stage together. Stewart died at age 86 last week, so emotions were already running high. Few in the room expected the farewell to arrive as a sing-along, yet that is exactly what happened.

While most farewells arrive as polite, printed statements, McKellen chose a curtain-call classic and handed a London audience the lyrics.

Sir Ian McKellen led the audience through 'Underneath the Arches' as a tribute to Sir Patrick Stewart. The 1932 music-hall favourite was made famous by the duo Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen. McKellen skipped the microphone and asked the room to sing along.

“When we played the tramps in Godot, Pat Stewart and I sang that song here in London and on Broadway at the end of the show,” said McKellen.

He then added, “And as we sing it, let’s remember Pat Stewart. Thank you very much.”

The moment was recorded by the Instagram account Wheelie Good Show, which captured McKellen in a dark suit and a bright yellow scarf, hands clasped and visibly moving. He then joined fellow performers for a group number. Walsh hosted the Raise the Roof! gala at Victoria Palace Theatre to support the £26 million Centenary Appeal for Denville Hall. McKellen is a president of that appeal alongside Helen Mirren and Daniel Radcliffe.

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While one London gala sang for Stewart, the wider entertainment world wrote its own goodbyes from Hollywood to Yorkshire.

Hollywood mourned Sir Patrick Stewart after he died at his Los Angeles home on October 28 following a brief illness with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Sir Ian McKellen, a friend of five decades, led the tributes on Instagram, describing Stewart as someone to rely on and love. Fellow starship captain William Shatner praised Stewart’s grace, while Hugh Jackman called him one of the greats of stage and screen.

Star Trek co-star George Takei said Stewart inspired a generation of stargazers, while X-Men colleague James McAvoy felt lucky to work with him more than once. Marvel Studios and the Academy also paid respects, and his final film appearance as Professor X will be in Avengers: Doomsday. West End theatres will dim their lights for two minutes on November 3, a rare moment of quiet in a district built on applause. McKellen, meanwhile, gave the week’s tributes a chorus.

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