Friday October 14, 2022, the agent of Robbie Coltrane, famous interpreter of Hagrid in Harry Potter, announced the death of the actor. According to information from Deadline, he would have died at the age of 72, in hospital, in Scotland.
Harry Potter fans are in mourning… Seven years after Alan Rickman, the interpreter of Severus Snape, it was Robbie Coltrane, who played the legendary Hagrid, who breathed his last. On Friday October 14, 2022, his agent said he died at the age of 72 in a hospital near his home in Larbert, Scotland. For the BBC, he said: “Robbie will probably be best remembered for decades as Hagrid… A role that has brought joy to children and adults alike, prompting a flood of fan letters every week for over 20 years!“In shock, many fans reacted on Twitter.”Thank you Robbie Coltrane for making my childhood wonderful. Hagrid will forever remain the friend, the confidant, the hero… Forever in our hearts“; “His character of Hagrid who we wanted to cuddle like a papa bear is fortunately engraved in the marble of my cinephilia and those of millions of other people“, can we read.
On January 1, 2022, the stars of the Harry Potter saga came together to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of the first installment, The Sorcerer’s Stone. Moved to tears, Robbie Coltrane confided in front of the camera: “It’s the end of an era. Ten years of my life. My children grew up during this time“, before adding: “The legacy of these films is such that my children’s generation will show them to their children. So you can still watch them in 50 years. Unfortunately, I won’t be here anymore. But Hagrid will be.“Having known the interpreters of Harry, Hermione and Ron when they were very young, the actor had taken them under his wing. “You have to remember that when they started they were around eight years old. I think the oldest of them was 11 years old. Now they are grown adults with a life of their own. Ruper Grint had a baby. Ruper Grint is now a father! It’s just amazing, the change. Watching them grow up was a bit like watching your children grow up, you know. Because you protected them“, he confided.
Robbie Coltrane: ‘I have so many happy memories’
During this interview, the actor assured that the young actors were fearless in their debut. He remembered:I’ve always been amazed at how fearless they were. I remember walking into the Great Hall, and I’ve been doing this for 30 years, and I thought, ‘Lord! Wow, better get this shot right!“Moved, he added:”I have many happy memories of this period.” Suffering from severe osteoarthritis for a few years, Robbie Coltrane had been seen in a wheelchair in 2019. For the Sun, a relative had confided: “Robbie has been in constant pain for years, his knee deteriorating every day. He can no longer walk without help and has been provided with a wheelchair while awaiting his particular surgical procedure in the United States to repair his joint.“