Maggie Smith dies at age 89

(London) British actress Maggie Smith, legend of theater and cinema, has died at the age of 89, her two sons announced on Friday.

“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning,” said her sons Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens. “She was a very private person, but she was with her friends and family at the end of her life. She leaves two loving sons and five grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,” they added.

The actress notably played Professor Minerva McGonagall in the film series Harry Potteras well as the Dowager Countess Lady Violet in the television series Downton Abbey.

More details to come.