“Harry Potter” fans are devastated over the loss of one of the franchise’s most loved actors

YouTube/Harry Potter

Rest in peace Robert Hardy.

Videos by Rare

According to TMZ, the actor who played Cornelius Fudge in the “Harry Potter” franchise died on Thursday at the age of 91. Aside from his work in four “Potter” films, Hardy had a long career in television, theater and several other films.

He was also known for his role as the short-tempered vet Siegfried Farnon on the series “All Creatures Great and Small.” Hardy also played the late Winston Churchill in many projects, including “The Wildnerness Years,” for which he was awarded a Bafta (British Academy Film Award.)

RELATED: Selena Gomez opens up to fans after she spent 90 days in a treatment facility last year

“Gruff, elegant, twinkly, and always dignified, he is celebrated by all who knew him and loved him, and everyone who enjoyed his work,” his children Emma, Paul and Justine said in a statement to The Guardian. “We are immensely grateful to the team at Denville Hall [a London retirement home for actors] for the tender care they gave during his last weeks.”

The family also said that Hardy was a “meticulous linguist, a fine artist, a lover of music and a champion of literature, as well a highly respected historian. He was an essential part of the team that raised the great Tudor warship the Mary Rose.”

What do you think?

Just ahead of his new film, a report has folks wondering why Al Gore’s Nashville home uses so much energy

She uses an ice cube tray to make chocolates truffles at home