Following Robbie Coltrane’s death earlier this month, the Harry Potter actor’s cause of death was revealed to the public on Saturday when his death certificate was obtained by reporters from The Sunday Mail. The Hagrid actor reportedly died from multiple organ failure, which was attributed to a handful of illnesses and chronic conditions he was suffering from. The certificate was registered by his ex-wife, Rhona Gemmell.ย The Daily Mirror, citing Coltrane’s death certificate, reported that he also suffered from sepsis, “lower respiratory tract infection and heart block,” prior to his death.
Coltrane died at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, Scotland on Friday, Oct. 14. He was suffering from Type 2 diabetes. That, combined with the aforementioned health issues, reportedly took his life, but friends and family had reportedly been worried about him for several years as his health declined. Coltrane’s mobility began declining rapidly around 2016, which is when he started using a wheelchair.
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Coltrane’s family has reportedly tried to avoid public memorials or interactions with fans, and funeral plans were not announced publicly. At the time of his death, Gemmell was with him in the hospital. Although the two divorced in 2003, they have reportedly stayed close and on good terms; they were dedicated co-parents toย their children Alice McMillan and Spencer Coltrane.
Coltrane and Gemmel began dating in the early 1990s and had their son in 1992 followed by their daughter in 1998. They married in 1999, and they moved to a secluded farmhouse near Loch Lomond. At the time, Coltrane had a bit of a reputation for partying with other artists and public figures in the U.K., but in a 2016 interview with The Guardian, he reflected on how his relationship with Gemmell had curbed some of his vices.
“You can’t live the life of an existential hero and be a good father,” he said at the time. Coltrane remembered spending those years drinking, fighting, “smoking dope” and binge eating. He said: “Booze is my undoing. I can drink a gallon of beer and not feel the least bit drunk.”
While Coltrane and Gemmell’s relationship did not last, his fatherly tendencies soon extended to the young cast members of the Harry Potter franchise. Many have penned heartfelt memorials to him since his death. Coltrane himself made a poignant statement on the legacy he expected for himself during HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary special last year.
“The legacy of the movies is that my children’s generation will show them to their children,” he said. “So you could be watching it in 50 years time, easy. I’ll not be here, sadly, but Hagrid will, yes.”
