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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Norman Silvester & Alan Weston

Robbie Coltrane died from multiple organ failure

Harry Potter star Robbie Coltrane died from multiple organ failure, it was revealed.

The much-loved actor passed away earlier this month at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, near Falkirk in Scotland, after being unwell for some time.

His death on October 14, which caused an outpouring of grief around the world, was registered by ex-wife Rhona Gemmell, a pilates instructor, who had remained close to the star.

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It reveals Coltrane, 72, was suffering from sepsis, lower respiratory tract infection, Type 2 Diabetes, heart block and obesity, reports the Daily Record.

Friends said the couple, who had two children, stayed good friends after their split. Coltrane, who grew up in Rutherglen, had poor mobility for several years, was forced to use a wheelchair and was said to have been in constant pain.

On Friday, Coltrane's agent Belinda Wright, who announced his death, said the family did not want to discuss funeral arrangements. She paid tribute to Coltrane, calling him "a unique talent."

The larger-than-life actor was a rising star when he met Rhona, then a sculptor, who was 18 years his junior, in a pub in Glasgow on Christmas Eve 1988. They married a year later but separated in 2003.

Coltrane is survived by their two grown-up children Spencer, 30, and Alice, 24.

After his death, Alice, an actress, posted a poignant picture of herself kissing the top of her father's head. Harry Potter author JK Rowling, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon all played tribute to the star.

Robbie Coltrane (Channel 4 images)

He came to prominence in A Kick Up The Eighties, a BBC TV comedy series which also starred Tracey Ullman, Miriam Margolyes and Rik Mayall.

But it was his role as criminal psychologist Dr Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald in the ITV series Cracker from 1993 to 1995 that catapulted him to stardom.

It secured him the Bafta for best actor for three consecutive years from 1994 to 1996. He would go on to star in two James Bond films – Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough – alongside Pierce Brosnan.

But even he knew he would be remembered for playing Hagrid in the Harry Potter films. He starred in all eight movies as Rubeus Hagrid alongside Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.

He was made an OBE in the 2006 New Year's honours list for his services to drama and he was awarded the Bafta Scotland Award for outstanding contribution to film in 2011.

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