Michael Patrick, the Irish performer and screenwriter known for his role in “Game of Thrones” and the critically acclaimed BBC program “My Left Nut,” passed away at 35 following a three-year struggle with motor neuron disease, his spouse confirmed Wednesday.
The actor died on Tuesday night, April 7, at Northern Ireland Hospice located in Belfast, with loved ones and companions by his side. Naomi Sheehan, his wife, revealed the information on the subsequent day via Instagram, posting a photograph taken on their wedding day.
The diagnosis came to Patrick on Feb. 1, 2023, with his marriage to Sheehan following in September of that year. Throughout the subsequent three years, he candidly posted updates regarding his illness on social platforms, preserving his distinctive sense of humor despite his deteriorating condition. In February 2026, he disclosed that his neurologist estimated he had roughly one year remaining.
The performer from Belfast, legally named Michael Campbell, pursued science studies at the University of Cambridge prior to receiving acting instruction at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London. During his time at Cambridge, he participated with the esteemed Cambridge Footlights comedy ensemble and held membership in the National Youth Theatre. His appearance as a Wildling Rioter in Season 6 of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” occurred in 2016, though audiences in Northern Ireland recognized him primarily for his stage performances and television roles in programs such as “This Town,” a production from “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight, in addition to “Blue Lights,” “The Spectacular,” and “Blasts From the Past.”
Particular recognition came to Patrick for co-creating “My Left Nut” alongside his long-term creative collaborator Oisín Kearney. The BBC Three comedy-drama production, inspired by Patrick’s own adolescent experience of finding a swollen testicle during the period of grieving his father’s death from MND, secured four Royal Television Society honors: Best Drama at the 2020 Royal Television Society (RTS) Northern Ireland Awards, and Best Drama, Best Writers, and Best Actor at the 2021 RTS Yorkshire Awards. The program additionally claimed the Summerhall Lustrum Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018, where its initial form was a one-man show. The pair worked together on multiple plays and the BBC Radio 4 sci-fi audio production “Bitter Pill,” which garnered a Celtic Media Festival Award nomination.
Within Northern Ireland’s theatrical community, Patrick attracted attention for his interpretation of Richard III at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre in 2024. Together with Kearney, he modified Shakespeare’s work so that Richard obtains a terminal illness diagnosis at the beginning, reflecting Patrick’s personal situation. His performance occurred from a wheelchair—marking the first instance of an actor with a disability performing Shakespeare’s Richard III on the island of Ireland. In January 2025, this performance secured him the Judges’ Award at The Stage Awards in London, where he was given a standing ovation at the Royal Opera House.
Kearney verified his friend’s passing in a statement to USA Today. He characterized 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.
After receiving his diagnosis, Patrick directed his condition into fresh creative endeavors. Together with Kearney, he conceived and developed the short film-to-series pitch “So You’re Going to Die” and the one-man show “My Right Foot.” He staged the latter at Dublin Theatre Festival in 2025—a 70-minute solo performance that reviewers described as 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 constitutes a collection of conditions that eliminate motor neurons, the nerve cells responsible for controlling 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 characterizes motor neuron disease as a collection of neurological disorders that progressively eliminate motor neurons over time. As the condition advances, compromised motor neurons produce muscle stiffness and overactive reflexes, rendering voluntary movements difficult and slow. Patients may eventually lose the ability to walk and control other movements.
Patrick’s particular form 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.”
Sheehan added, “So, don’t overthink it. Eat. Drink. Love.”
Patrick’s last social media update appeared on Feb. 6, when he addressed his prognosis and made known he had chosen against a tracheostomy that might have prolonged his life. He clarified that he would have faced 6 to 12 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 recorded a video expressing gratitude to 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.” Belfast’s MAC Theatre also paid tribute, calling Patrick “an incredible actor, writer, creator and friend to all of those lucky enough to know him” who “lit up stages with his poignant storytelling.”
Patrick’s funeral will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, April 13, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Carryduff, County Down.
