Dame Maggie Smith was perhaps one of the greatest actresses of her generation. Whether you loved her because of Harry Potter or Downton Abbey, her loss will definitely be felt.
Actress Dame Maggie Smith, who was best known for her roles as Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series and as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey has passed away at the age of 89 years old, according to her family.
A joint statement released by her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin read, “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.”
It went on, “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.”
The statement thanked the hospital and its staff, saying, “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.
The statement ended with the family saying, “We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
The news of her death is definitely a shock. The actress was last seen in public last year at the Wimbledon men’s singles finals. The actress had dressed up for the occasion. She wore a navy blue shirt dress covered in a chic dotted pattern. She paired the looked with black leather heels and a blue overcoat. She carried a matching navy leather bag one shoulder.
She wore her bob haircut in soft waves. A pink lipstick completed her look!
Since public appearances by the actress were rare, fans were, of course, shocked to see her out and about.
When pictures of her outing were posted online, people were pleasantly surprised. One person commented on a picture of her from the event, “So elegant!” While one person wrote, “You [look] so beautiful” and another simply added, “Amazing.”
Clearly her fans were ecstatic to see the actress looking well!