According to his family, 82-year-old actor Sir Michael Gambon has passed away in the hospital.

He is most remembered for his role as Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, in the bulk of the Harry Potter films.

What started out as a mere musing while stuck on a delayed train in London, 1990, led to a young Joanne Rowling conjuring up the magical story of Harry Potter.

Thirty years since it’s creation, over 500 million copies of the book franchise have been sold worldwide in eighty different languages, making it one of the best-selling book series of all time.

The adventures of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were quick to capture a vast and loyal fanbase, with children and adults alike being instantly captivated by the novel.

So, of course, it didn’t take long for the movie adaptations to come along, bringing Rowling’s words and imagination to life by transforming them into a series of blockbuster movies.

The wizardry and witchcraft mania that was induced by the books was only exaggerated after the release of the on-screen adaptations which, collectively, grossed around $6.5 billion in total.

It’s safe to say it was, and still is, a massive hit, but it was the actors that really made us fall in love with the characters.

Sadly, we have lost some of our beloved actors over the years. And now, it has been reported that Sir Michael Gambon has died aged 82.

Rest in peace.