Celebrity deaths are always heartbreaking, especially when it comes to actors who brought to life iconic characters that remain close to people’s hearts. So, when news first broke that Helen McCrory passed away, it was no surprise that many mourned the loss.
Last April 16, Damian Lewis, English actor and husband of McCrory, announced via Twitter that the actress passed away. The statement read, “I’m heartbroken to announce that after a heroic battle with cancer, the beautiful and mighty woman that is Helen McCrory has died peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family.”
McCrory has had a stellar acting career, but she is best known as Narcissa Malfoy from Harry Potter and Aunt Polly from Peaky Blinders. After the news of her passing, many of her co-stars and co-workers in these franchises came forward to pay tribute to her, remembering how much of a wonderful actress and friend she was.
The official Peaky Blinders Twitter account tweeted a statement on behalf of the cast and crew, saying, “We feel so privileged to have worked with her over the last decade.”
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight and her fellow co-star on the show, Cillian Murphy, also expressed their sadness over her passing.
Knight said, “Helen was one of the great actors of her generation. She was so powerful and controlled, and this is so sad.”
“Helen was a beautiful, caring, funny, compassionate human being. She was also a gifted actor — fearless and magnificent,” Murphy, who played Tommy Shelby on the show, said. “It was a privilege to have worked with this brilliant woman, to have shared so many laughs over the years.”
Daniel Radcliffe, who she worked with on Harry Potter, also spoke on her influence as an actress and friend. “She was effortlessly commanding and captivating as an actor, as well as being kind, generous, and incredibly good fun as a person. Also, as it happens, she’s one of the absolute coolest people I’ve ever met,” Radcliffe said. “She was a supreme talent and a wonderful person and will be very greatly missed.”
Of course, Jason Isaacs and Tom Felton, who played her husband and son respectively in the franchise also talked about how much she meant to them.
