At the age of 82, Michael Gambon, who portrayed Dumbledore in “Harry Potter,” passed away.

Actor Michael Gambon, best known for portraying Albus Dumbledore in the majority of the “Harry Potter” films, passed away on Thursday at the age of 82 after suffering from a “bout of pneumonia,” according to a statement released on behalf of his family.

In a statement, his publicist Clair Dobbs said, “We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon,” according to PA.

Michael, a loving husband, and father who was fighting pneumonia, traveled away peacefully in the hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his side.. Michael was 82 years old.

We treasure your kind words of encouragement and kindly request that you keep our privacy during this trying time.

Gambon was well-known for his enormous body of work in television, film, and radio, with one of his most notable performances being the psoriasis-stricken detective in the popular 1980s series “The Singing Detective.

Michael Gambon, one of the most prominent actors of his period, was born in Cabra, Dublin, but moved to London when he was a little child. His first position was as an apprentice toolmaker. He was born and raised in a Camden neighborhood of Irish immigrants. He developed a lifelong love of vintage firearms, timepieces, and automobiles.

He admitted to being an obsession with collecting items in a 2004 interview with the Guardian. Richard Briers is a stamp collector. I am a gun and car collector, which is far more expensive and difficult to store.

Michael Gambon attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art while working as an apprentice toolmaker. He made his professional theatrical debut in the 1962 production of “Othello” at Dublin’s Gate Theatre.

He attracted the notice of actor Laurence Olivier, who invited him to join the National Theatre Company after it had just been established. Gambon finally got the chance to portray the title roles in his favorite Shakespearean plays when he joined the Birmingham Repertory Company four years later.

Gambon didn’t become well-known until the 1980s when he starred as Philip Marlow in the 1986 Anglo-American public television miniseries “The Singing Detective.”

In 1990, he received the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor for his contributions to drama eight years later.

Gambon will likely be best known for his role as Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, in the “Harry Potter” movie series, which he assumed after Richard Harris passed away in 2002. Gambon played Dumbledore in six of the eight “Harry Potter” movies in total.

Michael Gambon Tributes for ‘legend’

The actor who played Ron Weasley in the show, Rupert Grint, paid tribute to Gambon in a post on Instagram.

“I was shocked to learn about Michael. Every day on set was brightened by his warmth and playfulness, Grint remarked. He captured my attention as a child and evolved into a personal role model for me in terms of seeking out the humor and quirks in life.

On Thursday, James Phelps, who portrayed Ron’s brother Fred Weasley in the “Harry Potter” movie series, posted an homage to Gambon on X, the site that replaced Twitter.

“I’m sorry to learn about Michael Gambon’s demise. He was legendary both on and off the screen, according to Phelps.

“He was always very funny and very welcoming to share any knowledge he had,” Phelps continued, recalling a pleasant experience he had working with the seasoned actor in between takes of the sixth “Harry Potter” film.

Also, according to Fiona Shaw, who portrayed Potter’s aunt Petunia Dursley in the films, Gambon “varied his career remarkably.”

Additionally, Gambon was described by Shaw as a “gun maker” who consistently claimed “he could fool the V&A [museum] into believing that they were 18th-century guns.”

“As a result, the author said, “I’ll just think of him as a trickster, just a brilliant, wonderful trickster, but with text, there was no one like him, he could do anything.”
In a BBC interview, Helen Mirren also paid tribute to Gambon and recalled his sense of humor.

Naughty but very, very funny, she said. He never stopped making me laugh.
Gambon was said to as an “instinctive actor” by Mirren who made “extraordinary contributions to the British landscape of theater.”

Michael Gambon received many Best Actor nominations for the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs) over his career and was nominated for two Emmys.