Dame Maggie Smith has died aged 89, her heartbroken sons confirmed in a statement.
The Oscar-winning actress and Harry Potter legend passed away peacefully in hospital with her family by her side on Friday morning. Her family said that they are “devastated” by her loss as they went on to thank NHS staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
In a statement issued via their publicist, they said: “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September.
“An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.
“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
Fans and friends alike were left heartbroken over the news, hailing her a “British icon” while her pal Gyles Brandreth tweeted: “The saddest news: the death of Dame Maggie Smith marks the end of a golden era & a quite extraordinary life. She was a truly great actress, “one of the greats” & simply the best company: wise, witty, waspish, wonderful. One of a kind in every way & consequently irreplaceable.” While Omid Djalili wrote: “We’ve lost one the best today. RIP Maggie Smith.”
Dame Maggie won Academy Awards for her roles in 1969’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and 1978’s California Suite. She was also Oscar nominated for 1965’s Othello, 1972’s Travels with My Aunt, 1985’s Room With A View and 2001’s Gosford Park.
She went on to gain a huge following among fans for her role as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter film series and then as Violet Crawley in ITV period drama Downton Abbey. She went on to return for the spin-off films in 2019 and 2022.
Despite being an award-winning actress, Dame Maggie was known for being incredibly private about her life off-screen and shunned fame as she disliked the fuss of awards dos.
Dame Maggie had never spoken of her plans to retire, with her last film – The Miracle Club – released last year and saw her star alongside the likes of Kathy Bates and Laura Linney.
Follow Mirror Celebs onTikTok,Snapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads.
