Maggie Smith, the Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-winning actor known for her roles in “Downton Abbey,” the “Harry Potter” film franchise and “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” has died at the age of 89.

In a statement, Smith’s sons confirmed that she died on Friday, September 27, 2024.

How did Maggie Smith die?

Smith died in a London hospital. No cause of death was shared.

“She leaves behind two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their special mother and grandmother,” Smith’s sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens, said in a statement released by publicist Clair Dobbs.

Although her cause of death is unknown, Smith revealed details about her health throughout her 60-year career, including diagnoses of breast cancer and Graves’ disease. Here’s what she shared.

Maggie Smith was diagnosed with Graves’ disease

When Smith had just begun her role in the Tony-nominated play “Lettice and Lovage” in 1988, she was diagnosed with Grave’s disease, a condition in which the immune system attacks the thyroid gland for unknown reasons, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland overproduces thyroid hormone.

Symptoms include irritability, tremors, fatigue, palpitations, skin discoloration and a change in the shape of the eyes – a symptom Smith experienced at age 54. “Medication and determination allowed her to play out her one-year contract (missing only one performance), but the resulting facial disfigurement – ​​specifically protrusions of the eyeballs and bags around the eyes – did not improve,” The New York Times reported in 1990.

The diagnosis came shortly after Smith broke her arm and fractured her shoulder when she fell from a bicycle during a trip to the British Virgin Islands in November 1988. After performing the piece, Smith went into isolation for a year, during which time she underwent radiation and surgery to address the shape and swelling around her eyes and rehabilitated her arm through swimming.

“It was basically a fog of despair,” Smith told The New York Times. “It was horrible to have a broken arm; horrible of the piece, letting everyone down; and besides, I looked absolutely terrifying and didn’t know which way to go.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer

While Smith was filming “Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince,” the sixth installment of the franchise, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She felt a lump in her breast, but was not concerned at first. ‘I felt a bit of rum. I didn’t think it was anything serious because years ago I felt a lump and it was benign. I assumed this would be the case,” Smith told British newspaper The Times.

“It kind of takes the wind out of your sails a bit, and I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t think there’s much of it, because of my age; that’s just not there. It’s everything been. I have no idea what will be there.”

For two years, Smith underwent treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation. She called the treatment “horrendous” and said it felt worse than cancer. “You feel terribly ill. I was holding on to the railing thinking, ‘I can’t do this,'” she added.

On set as Professor Minerva McGonagall in ‘Harry Potter’ she wore a wig. “I was hairless. I had no problem putting the wig on. I was like a boiled egg,” she remembers. For the next two and final films in the franchise, Smith said she planned to “hobble along.”

However, when it came to her return to the theater, she felt differently. “(Cancer) leaves you so flattened. I’m not sure I could do theater work again, although film work is more tiring. I’m afraid to work in the theater now. I feel very insecure. I haven’t done it in a while,” she said.

She also opened up about how her diagnosis and treatment confused her. “I think it’s the age I was when it happened. It knocks you aside. Recovery takes longer, you are not as resilient. I’m afraid of the amount of energy you need in a film or a play.”

After two years of treatment, she was declared cancer-free, the BBC reported.

She underwent hip replacement surgery

In 2016, Smith missed the Golden Globes Awards, where she was nominated for her work in “The Lady in the Van,” because she was recovering from hip replacement surgery, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“I feel so much better, but you can’t be on a plane that long,” Smith said.

She had glaucoma in one eye

Although Smith did not reveal when she developed glaucoma, she confirmed in a 2016 interview with The Telegraph that her vision had decreased. ‘Forgive me for looking at you like that. It’s because I’m blind in one eye and I’m not stealthy,” she told the interviewer.