“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said in a statement provided to the trade outlet. “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.”
And Harry Potter himself had this to say…“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,” actor Daniel Radcliffe, who played the titular boy wizard, said in a statement (via Variety) “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.”
Beyond the Harry Potter franchise, Smith won a Best Actress Tony in 1990 for her portrayal of Lettice Douffet in Lettice and Lovage. She also earned two Oscars: one for Best Actress for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969); the other for Best Supporting Actress for California Suite (1978). She also collected four Emmys, three Golden Globes, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as a host of nominations and awards — including five BAFTAs — in her native Britain.