Popular British actress, Maggie Smith, has died at the age of 89, News About Nigeria reports.
Her death was announced by her sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, in a statement on Friday.
The Oscar-winning actress, and a star of stage and screen for more than seven decades, reportedly died in a hospital in London in the early hours of Friday, although the cause of death is still unknown.
“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September.
“An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother,” the statement reads.
Smith, who received damehood for her contribution to the British stage and screen, won the Academy Award two times during a career that spanned over 70 years.
Following her first Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar nomination in 1966 for Othello, Smith won Best Actress in a Lead Role award four years later for 1969’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
She remains one of the U.K.’s most decorated actresses, having won five BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globes, and four Emmy Awards, with the latter largely coming for her portrayal of Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham in the beloved Masterpiece series Downton Abbey.
She also received four more Oscar nominations over the ensuing decades, winning once more, Best Supporting Actress for 1978’s California Suite. Her final Oscar nod came in that same category for 2001’s Gosford Park.
