The Star Trek and acting communities have lost a beloved member.

Kenneth Mitchell, and actor known for roles in Star Trek: Discovery and Captain Marvel and the husband of Center Stage actress Susan May Pratt, has died. He was 49.

The actor passed away Feb. 24 in Los Angeles after a long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. In addition to his wife, Mitchell is survived by their daughter Lilah, 16, and son Kallum, 11, plus his parents, brother and other family members, according to an obituary posted on his Instagram Feb. 25.

“Ken was diligent and hardworking in everything he did, but as a father these traits found their fullest expression,” it read. “He was extremely dedicated to being a positive and playful force in the lives of his children. Regardless of his later disabilities, Ken discovered a higher calling to be more fully himself for his kids. Ken will be forever proud of who his children have become.”
The obituary also included an essay written by Mitchell himself, titled “Connect.

When I die, when I leave this life, I want to become a tree, a Ginko, White pine, Jacaranda, Lemon, Cedar, Oak, Myrtle or Maple,” he wrote. “I want to be buried under the roots, so I can be soaked up, all my matter, my energy, my love, my laughter, my tears and I want to reach up through the branches and touch the night sky. I want to twinkle with the stars and when the earth turns, I want to feel the sun on the face of my leaves.”
Mitchell, a Toronto native, made his onscreen acting debut in the early aughts, appearing in Showtime’s Leap Year. He later played Eric Green on the series Jericho and Sam Lucas on Ghost Whisperer. In 2019, he starred on the CW’s Nancy Drew and in Captain Marvel