Inside Dame Maggie Smith’s Final Farewell: Harry Potter and Downton Abbey Star Honored in 'Poignant' but 'Not Sad' Funeral
Dame Maggie Smith was honored after her death on September 24.
Dame Maggie Smith was laid to rest in a "poignant" and intimate ceremony on Monday as fans bid farewell to the beloved star.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the "not sad" funeral, attended by family, friends, and colleagues, celebrated the legend's 70-year career following her death at the end of September.
The Harry Potter star's funeral was attended by friends, family, and close colleagues she made through her 70-year career.
The British actress, known for her roles as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter franchise and Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey, was 89 years old.
The late star's life was celebrated at Mortlake Crematorium in Richmond, southwest London, where mourners reportedly sang hymns with heartfelt emotions and listened to moving eulogies.
Aside from Harry Potter, the actress was known for her role in the series Downton Abbey.
Guests arrived around 4pm and were welcomed into a "beautiful and warm" ceremony that was "full of laughter", one attendee said.
Someone added: "Such a beautiful goodbye to Maggie Smith today. It was warm and funny and full of love and brilliant eulogies, with the best hymns beinging belted out by all. It was poignant but not sad because hers was a life so richly lived."
They added: "I knew her because of Robert's [the guest's husband] decades of working with her but I adored her."
"Molly [their daughter] was traumatized when she first met her as she knew her as the terrifying housekeeper Mrs Medlock in The Secret Garden! Maggie was as funny and sharp as it gets. One of the greats."
The brochure for the service featured a childhood photo of Dame Maggie on the front and a more recent image of her smiling on the back.
After suffering from a prolonged illness, Dame Maggie died at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on September 27.
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Her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens announced the news at the time "with great sadness", paying tribute to their Oscar-winning mother.
They wrote in a statement: "It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. 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."
Dame Maggie's funeral was reported to be 'warm' and 'full of laughter'.
The two-time Academy Award winner spent her final years in West Sussex.
Following news of her death, tributes poured in from all over — with her Harry Potter co-star, Daniel Radcliffe, commemorating her lasting legacy.
He wrote: "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."
The late actress passed away in a hospital at the age of 89 on September 27.
King Charles even shared his condolences, calling Dame Maggie "a national treasure".
He added: "My wife and I were deeply saddened to learn of her passing."
"As the curtain falls on this national treasure, we join people around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many remarkable performances, as well as the warmth and wit she shared both on and off the stage."
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