30 Sep - "Harry Potter" stars were not the only people who paid tribute to Dame Maggie Smith following her passing, as fans of the said film and book series also had their own way to bid their farewell to the veteran actress. On 28 September, following news of her passing, fans who coincidentally were outside the Hogwarts Castle replica at Universal Studios Orlando, immediately raised their wands towards the building as a way to pay their tribute. It is noted that the raising of the wand was recreated in real life previously for both Michael Gambon (who played Professor Albus Dumbledore) and Alan Rickman (Professor Severus Snape), who passed away in 2023 and 2016, respectively.
The same gesture originated from the films, specifically in the scene following Professor Dumbledore's death. News of Smith's passing was revealed by her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, who expressed, "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." Smith played the role of Professor Minerva McGonagall in the adaptation of the "Harry Potter" books, a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she is also the head of Gryffindor House and the deputy headmistress under Albus Dumbledore.