Game of Thrones actor Michael Patrick spoke candidly about his battle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) prior to his death at age 35.
Michael’s death was announced via Instagram on April 8, 2026, by his wife Naomi Sheehan, who shared that her husband — whom she affectionately called “Mick” — had succumbed to the neurodegenerative disease after 10 days in a Belfast, Northern Ireland, hospice care center. (Per the Mayo Clinic, MND impacts the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and gradually weakens the muscles controlling speech, swallowing and limb movement.)
“[Mick] was admitted [to hospice] 10 days ago and was cared for by the incredible team there. He passed peacefully surrounded by family and friends. Words can’t describe how broken-hearted we are,” Sheehan wrote.
Patrick was both an actor and a playwright who appeared in a Game of Thrones season 6 episode as a Wildling. He also used his own battle with MND as inspiration for his hit play My Right Foot, which examined how he coped with being diagnosed with the same disease that killed his father.
Keep scrolling for more about what Patrick said about his diagnosis.
Michael Patrick Noticed Increasingly Scary Symptoms
Michael Patrick explained on the “Brain and Life” podcast in January 2026 that he first wondered whether something was amiss while performing in a play at the Dublin Fringe festival in late 2022.
“I had to dance in it and I kept falling over, tripping on my shoes,” he recalled. “I kept blaming my shoes, kept saying, ‘Why have they got me dancing in these big chunky shoes? It’s not fair.’ But it didn’t get better.”
Michael was advised by his wife’s aunt to get himself checked out because of his family’s history with MND. By the time Michael saw his doctors, he could no longer “lift [his] right foot” and “couldn’t point [his] toes to the ceiling.”
He was officially diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in February 2023.
Michael Patrick’s Father Died from MND
The This Town actor looked back on his initial response to the diagnosis while speaking to RTE in August 2025. Michael Patrick naturally wondered how long he would realistically have to live since his father previously died of MND.
“My dad was diagnosed in February and he died that October,” Michael recalled. “There wasn’t much time with him. I’m thinking, ‘Am I gonna [die] in October?’ Thankfully, I haven’t.”
He shared on the “Brain and Life” podcast that his family “seems to be the only one in Ireland with the gene” for a rare form of MND.
“I have the FUS MND familial inherited version of four genes that are known to cause MND and familial MND. One’s the FUS gene,” he explained. “I think it’s one of the rarer of the four.”
Michael Patrick Took Part in Clinical Drug Trials
In September 2023, Michael Patrick was accepted into a drug trial for a potential treatment for MND. The initial results were promising as he “saw the first reversal of symptoms” within weeks of starting the trial.
“I can now wiggle my right foot [and] toes for the first time in about two years. It’s small,” he told the “Brain and Life” podcast in January 2026. “And my breathing’s still going unless I get a tracheotomy, and my arm’s still getting weaker, but fact is there is some reversal there, which is really exciting.”
He praised the “level of care you get and support” he’d received from his medical team since beginning the trial.
Michael Patrick’s Friends and Family Rallied to Support Him
In the wake of Michael Patrick’s MND diagnosis, his friends and family set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for specialized care that comes with getting a tracheostomy. (Patrick’s doctors recommended that he get a tracheostomy — a surgical incision to open up an airway — to help with his breathing.)
The fundraising appeal has raised more than £110,000 against a £100k goal, as of publication.
“Everyone’s been amazing,” he said on the “Brain and Life” podcast. “I’ve got a great support network with my family and my wife. I got married two days before I started the drug trial, so she’s amazing. My friends from school recently raised £100,000 through a GoFundMe account for me for support and stuff. So I have a lot of support. Family and friends are really amazing and I can’t thank them enough.”
Michael Patrick Offered a Health Update Weeks Before His Death
Michael Patrick revealed via Instagram in February 2026 that he’d been told by his neurologist that he “likely [had] about one year left.” He spent “over a week” in the hospital discussing the practical realities if he went ahead with a tracheostomy procedure.
“In short I’m not going ahead with the tracheostomy,” he announced. “I had confirmation it would be around 6-12 months before I could get home due to lack of staffing resources. Thanks so much to everyone who helped push this — from senior social workers, to politicians, to the chief executive of the hospital. Everyone has tried so hard, but there just isn’t the staff.”
Michael decided that he did not want to “risk a significant amount of time” in the hospital if he was in the end-stages of MND.
“Thanks so much for all the donations to the GoFundMe, even though I didn’t go ahead with the tracheostomy — it will still go towards providing me with specialist care as I enter the final stages of life. I’m still overwhelmed by all your generosity,” he concluded.
Michael died on April 7, 2026, after being hospitalized in the Northern Ireland Hospice for 10 days.
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