Leslie Phillips, 'Harry Potter' Sorting Hat Star, Dead at 98

Harry Potter fans have lost a beloved voice of the franchise.

British actor Leslie Phillips has died, according to multiple reports. He was 98 years old.

As his agent confirmed to multiple news outlets, the performer died peacefully in his sleep on Monday. During a career spanning more than seven decades in radio, TV and film, Phillips became a recognizable voice as the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films, bringing the animated object to life in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The latter marked one of his final roles, though he is slated to appear posthumously in the upcoming film, Darkheart Manor.

He also appeared in several films for the British franchise Carry On. He was nominated for a BAFTA Film Award in 2007 for Venus. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1998 and promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2008.

"I've lost a wonderful husband and the public has lost a truly great showman," his third wife, Zara Carr, told The Sun. "He was quite simply a national treasure. People loved him. He was mobbed everywhere he went."

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