Beloved 'Harry Potter' and 'Downton Abbey' Star Maggie Smith Dead Aged 89: 'She Was With Friends and Family at the End'
Maggie Smith has passed away just a few months before her 90th birthday.
Sept. 27 2024, Published 9:45 a.m. ET
Acting icon Maggie Smith has passed away at the age of 89.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the beloved British actress died on Friday morning at a London hospital just a few months before her 90th birthday.
Smith's family confirmed the Harry Potter and Downton Abbey star's passing in a statement, saying: "She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September.
Smith is survived by her two sons and five grandchildren.
"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."
Her family continued: "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."
Smith arriving to the premiere of the Downton Abbey movie in 2019.
Tributes have poured in following the news of Smith's passing, and fans and costars alike have rushed to social media to remember the legend best known for her roles as Professor Minerva McGonagall and Violet Crawley in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey.
Hugh Bonneville, who co-starred with Smith on Downton Abbey, said: "Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent.
"She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances. My condolences to her boys and wider family."
British TV personality and former politician Gyles Brandreth, in the wake of Smith's passing, also took to X to share a photo of himself with the actress.
He wrote: "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."
Gyles Brandreth paid tribute to his late friend with this message posted to X after the news of Smith's passing.
British actor and comedian Omid Djalili, in his own tribute to the adored dame, added: "We've lost one the best today. RIP Maggie Smith."
Besides Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, Smith was also best known for roles in the 1969 film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and 1978's California Suite.
Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as the titular Jean Brodie in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
She won her second Oscar, this time for Best Supporting Actress, for her role as Diane Barrie in California Suite.
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Smith on the set of a movie in 2014.
Smith's family did not announce a cause of death when they confirmed the esteemed acting legend's passing on Friday morning.
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