Dame Maggie Smith died in hospital on Friday, aged 89, with her sons announcing the sad news in a statement.
“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,” read the statement. “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.”
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Since the news of Dame Maggie Smith’s passing, the world has seen an outpouring of love, with colleagues, friends, fans and royal family members paying tribute to the multi Academy Award winning actress.
Among those paying their respects were the Harry Potter cast, with one of Smith’s most beloved roles in recent years being Professor McGonagall in all eight of the Harry Potter films.
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“The first time I met Maggie Smith I was 9 years old and we were reading through scenes for David Copperfield, which was my first job,” Daniel Radcliffe announced in a statement following the news of Smith’s passing. “I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her.”
He continued: “The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Dame, so the first thing I asked her when we met was ‘would you like me to call you Dame?’ at which she laughed and said something to the effect of ‘don’t be ridiculous!’ I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease. She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter films.
“She was a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny. I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her and to spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.”
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“Heartbroken to hear about Maggie,” wrote Rupert Grint in a moving tribute to Smith on his Instagram page. “She was so special, always hilarious and always kind. I feel incredibly lucky to have shared a set with her and particularly lucky to have shared a dance. I’ll miss you Maggie. Sending all my love to her family. Rupert x”
Emma Watson also paid tribute, posting a statement to her Instagram Stories, alongside a photograph of the pair on set.
“When I was younger I had no idea of Maggie’s legend – the woman I was fortunate enough to share space with,” read her message. “It is only as I’ve become an adult that I’ve come to appreciate that I shared the screen with a true definition of greatness. She was real, honest, funny and self-honouring. Maggie, there were a lot of male professors and by God you held your own. Thank you for all of your kindness. I’ll miss you.”
Bonnie Wright was also among the Harry Potter cast to have paid tribute, posting a photograph of Dame Maggie Smith to Instagram.
“Our dearly loved and revered head of Gryffindor house, you will be so missed by the Harry Potter community,” read her statement. “My favourite scene with Maggie was when we were all learning to dance for the Yule Ball. She embodied that perfect balance of sass and loving care that McGonagall has. She kept Gryffindors on their toes. My deepest condolences to Maggie’s family at this time.”
Our thoughts are with Dame Maggie Smith’s loved ones.
