Michael Patrick, the Irish actor and writer known for his appearance in “Game of Thrones” and the award-winning BBC series “My Left Nut,” died at age 35 after a three-year battle with motor neuron disease, his wife announced Wednesday.
Patrick passed away Tuesday evening, April 7, at Northern Ireland Hospice in Belfast, surrounded by family and friends. His wife, Naomi Sheehan, shared the news the following day on Instagram alongside a photo from their wedding day.
“Words can’t describe how broken-hearted we are,” Sheehan wrote. “He passed peacefully surrounded by family and friends.”
Patrick received his diagnosis on February 1, 2023, and married Sheehan that September. Over the following three years, he openly shared updates about his condition on social media, maintaining his characteristic humor even as his health declined. In February 2026, he revealed his neurologist had given him approximately one year to live.
The Belfast-born performer—whose legal name was Michael Campbell—studied science at the University of Cambridge before training as an actor at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London. At Cambridge, he performed with the prestigious Cambridge Footlights comedy troupe and was also a member of the National Youth Theatre. He appeared as a Wildling Rioter in Season 6 of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” in 2016, but Northern Irish audiences knew him best for his theatrical work and television appearances in shows like “This Town,” a drama from “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight, as well as “Blue Lights,” “The Spectacular,” and “Blasts From the Past.”
Patrick earned particular acclaim for co-writing “My Left Nut” with his longtime creative partner Oisín Kearney. The BBC Three comedy-drama series, based on Patrick’s personal teenage experiences of discovering a swollen testicle while mourning his father’s death from MND, won four Royal Television Society awards: Best Drama at the 2020 RTS Northern Ireland Awards, and Best Drama, Best Writers, and Best Actor at the 2021 RTS Yorkshire Awards. The show also received the Summerhall Lustrum Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018, where it originated as a one-man show. The duo collaborated on several plays and the BBC Radio 4 sci-fi audio drama “Bitter Pill,” which was nominated for a Celtic Media Festival Award.
In Northern Ireland’s theater scene, Patrick made headlines for his portrayal of Richard III at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre in 2024. He and Kearney adapted Shakespeare’s play so that Richard receives a terminal illness diagnosis at the opening, mirroring Patrick’s own experience. He performed the role from a wheelchair—the first time an actor with a disability had played Shakespeare’s Richard III on the island of Ireland. In January 2025, that performance earned him the Judges’ Award at The Stage Awards in London, where he received a standing ovation at the Royal Opera House.
Kearney confirmed his friend’s death in a statement to USA Today. He described Patrick as “an actor of epic proportions” who “was able to make an audience laugh or cry in an instant.” He added that Patrick dealt with his diagnosis with bravery and humility, showing audiences how to do better when it comes to disabilities.
Following his diagnosis, Patrick channeled his illness into new creative work. He and Kearney wrote and created the short film-to-series pitch “So You’re Going to Die” and the one-man show “My Right Foot.” He performed the latter at Dublin Theatre Festival in 2025—a 70-minute solo show that critics called a masterclass in humor, honesty, and resilience. He also won the Overcoming Adversity Award at the Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards in 2025.
Motor neuron disease represents a group of conditions that destroy motor neurons, the nerve cells that control skeletal muscle activity such as walking, breathing, speaking and swallowing, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The disease can lead to disability or death. No cure currently exists, though new treatments remain under development.
The Cleveland Clinic describes motor neuron disease as a group of neurological disorders that gradually destroy motor neurons over time. As the disease progresses, weakened motor neurons cause muscle stiffness and overactive reflexes, making voluntary movements difficult and slow. Patients may eventually lose the ability to walk and control other movements.
Patrick’s specific type of motor neuron disease was never publicly disclosed. The category includes several conditions: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), progressive bulbar palsy, primary lateral sclerosis, progressive muscular atrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, Kennedy’s disease, and post-polio syndrome. Patrick’s father had previously died from MND when Michael was a child, a loss that shaped much of his creative work.
In her Instagram tribute, Sheehan described her husband as “a titan of a ginger-haired man” with “joy, abundance of spirit, infectious laughter.” She shared a quote from Irish writer Brendan Behan that Patrick loved: “The most important things to do in the world are to get something to eat, something to drink and somebody to love you.”
“So, don’t overthink it. Eat. Drink. Love,” Sheehan added.
Patrick’s final social media post came on February 6, when he discussed his prognosis and revealed he had decided against a tracheostomy that could have extended his life. He explained that he would have faced six to twelve months in hospital due to staffing shortages before being able to return home. Throughout his illness, he continued working on creative projects and advocating for greater disability awareness.
In August 2025, Patrick filmed a video thanking supporters who donated money to help pay for equipment including a wheelchair, bed, and van to accommodate his limited mobility.
The Lyric Theatre Belfast, where Patrick performed Richard III, said in a statement that it was devastated by his death. Executive producer Jimmy Fay called Patrick’s Richard III “one of the greatest performances ever on the Lyric stage.”
Patrick’s funeral will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, April 13, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Carryduff, County Down.