Sir Ian McKellen Wishes Sir Patrick Stewart a Happy 80th Birthday in Video

You know the saying: a sonnet a day from Sir Ian McKellen keeps the doctor away. Yesterday, The Lord of the Rings star took to Twitter to offer a birthday message to friend Sir Patrick Stewart, who, at 80, doesn’t look a day over 63. The Star Trek alum has spent the past few months treating viewers to a daily Shakespeare sonnet, but in honor of Sir Patrick Stewart’s birthday, McKellen stepped in to offer a surprise rendition of Sonnet 81, which just so happens to be about “immortal life.” How fitting.

Back in March, Stewart kicked off a “sonnet a day” series in which he recites a different Shakespeare poem each day. Viewers immediately took to the initiative, and for the past 80 days, the beloved actor has worked his way through Shakespeare’s philosophical ruminations about love, life, and death.

Stewart usually posts his sonnet videos later in the day, but yesterday, his 80th birthday, his longtime friend Sir Ian McKellen beat him to the punch with a rousing reading of Sonnet 81. The sonnet dramatizes Shakespeare’s enduring love for another person, a love that he believes will live on in his prose, even after they are both gone. “You still shall live, such virtue hath my pen,” writes The Bard, “Where breath most breathes, even in the mouths of men.”

“Have a very happy birthday, dear Patrick,” says McKellen after reading the sonnet. “Lots of love, Ian.”

The Star Trek: Picard star writes that his wife, Sunny Ozell, helped to coordinate McKellen’s surprise reading. “Sunny and my team took over for my birthday, and arranged this gift for today’s reading,” explains Stewart. “Thank you, dear Ian.” Aw!

Stewart and McKellen’s friendship first sparked on the set of X-Men in 2000. The two Englishmen immediately hit it off, and over the last 20 years, they have supported each other in various personal and professional endeavors. In 2013, Stewart and McKellen joined forces for a Broadway revival of Waiting for Godot and No Man’s Land; that same year, McKellen performed his friend’s wedding ceremony. Talk about a true bond.

Watch Sir Ian McKellen’s tribute for Sir Patrick Stewart’s birthday above.