Tributes are pouring in for actor Robbie Coltrane who played Hagrid, the loveable half-giant, in the "Harry Potter" franchise who has died at the age of 72.
Coltrane, Dr. Edward 'Fitz' Fitzgerald in "Cracker," a 90s crime show, and a Russian crime boss in the James Bond movies "GoldenEye" and "The World is Not Enough," died Friday morning in hospital, according to his agent Belinda Wright.
He was most recognizable as the character Hagrid, a father figure to young wizard Harry Potter, in a role which took him through eight movies released between 2001 and 2011.
Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter, told Variety that Coltrane was “one of the funniest people†he has met who "used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set."
"I’ve especially fond memories of him keeping our spirits up on 'Prisoner of Azkaban,' when we were all hiding from the torrential rain for hours in Hagrid’s hut and he was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up. I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet and work with him and very sad that he’s passed," Radcliffe said in the statement.
Cast members of the Harry Potter series, including the author of the books, J.K Rowling, posted tributes on their personal social media accounts.
Actor Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, shared a photo saying Coltrane "effortlessly" made people laugh.
Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom in the movies, tweeted out a memory he had of Coltrane calling him "Space Boy."
"A giant, in more ways than one," Lewis wrote in the tweet.
Oliver and James Phelps, who played George and Fred Weasley, posted heartwarming memories of the late actor.
"I'll never forget in September 2000, Robbie Coltrane came over to a very nervous 14yr old me on my 1st ever day on a movie set and said 'Enjoy it, you'll be great.' Thank you for that," James said in a tweet.
Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley, she was heartbroken to hear of Coltrane’s passing, saying he "portrayed Hagrid’s warmth, sense of home & unconditional love for his students and magical creatures so brilliantly."
British actor Stephen Fry, who voices some of the Harry Potter audiobooks, added how he was “awe/terror/love struck" when he met Coltrane 40 years ago.
"Such depth, power & talent: funny enough to cause helpless hiccups & honking as we made our first TV show, 'Alfresco'. Farewell, old fellow. You’ll be so dreadfully missed," he wrote.
Even Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted about the news of his passing, writing: "He had such range and depth as an actor, from brilliant comedy to hard-edged drama."
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