Kenneth Mitchell, ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ actor, dies at 49

Kenneth Alexander Mitchell, a Canadian actor known for roles on the series “Star Trek: Discovery,” died on Saturday. He was 49.

His death was confirmed in statements Sunday on the Star Trek website and his personal Instagram page.

For more than five years, Mr. Mitchell had been battling ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the Instagram post read. “And in truest Ken fashion, he managed to rise above each [challenge] with grace and commitment, to living a full and joyous life in each moment,” it added.

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.”

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.