Fans mourn ‘Harry Potter’ actor Robbie Coltrane. ‘A part of my childhood has gone’

Robbie Coltrane, a beloved actor best known for his role in the “Harry Potter” series, has died, according to media reports.

The 72-year-old actor from Scotland died in a hospital near his Larbert home, his agent reported to Deadline. He had been sick for about two years.

His agent did not immediately confirm what Coltrane died from, but he had been sick with osteoarthritis. Considered “the most common form of arthritis,” the condition damages joints as “the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones wears down,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

In 2019, he was unable to walk due to severe pain in his joints, according to The Scotsman.

He played Rubeus Hagrid, a half-giant and half-human who worked as the gamekeeper and Keeper of Keys and Grounds of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who played wizard Harry Potter, described Coltrane as “one of the funniest people” he ever met in a statement to Variety.

“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,” Radcliffe said. “I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet and work with him and very sad that he’s passed. He was an incredible actor and a lovely man.”

James Phelps, who starred as wizard Fred Weasley, said he “will miss the random chats about all subjects under the sun.”

“And 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,’” Phelps tweeted. “Thank you for that.”

And J.K. Rowling, the author of the beloved book series, took to Twitter to say “I’ll never know anyone remotely like Robbie again.”

“Harry Potter” fans also immediately began to mourn Coltrane’s death.

Other roles

While best recognized for his role in “Harry Potter,” Coltrane was also known as Dr. Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald in the British drama series, “Cracker.” The show aired between 1993 and 1996 with a special in 2006.

He also appeared in “Flash Gordon,” “Blackadder the Third” and “Keep It in the Family,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. He starred in two James Bond movies. His most recent TV appearance was for “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts.”