Leslie Phillips, Voice of the Hogwarts Sorting Hat, Has Died at 98

According to a report from the Sun, Leslie Phillips, the voice of Hogwarts’s beloved Sorting Hat, died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 98. Phillips’s agent was reported to have confirmed the news of his death, while his wife, Zara, was quoted:

I’ve lost a wonderful husband, and the public has lost a truly great showman.

He was quite simply a national treasure. People loved him. He was mobbed everywhere he went.

When we married, he cheekily introduced me to the [p]ress as royalty, insisting I was the new Zara Phillips and that I was related to the [q]ueen.

Besides voicing the Sorting Hat, Leslie Phillips was known for roles in such film series as Carry On and Doctor. His most recent roles besides Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 included the 2012 film After Death and the 2011 film Late Bloomers.

Phillips was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998 and a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2008 for his lengthy career.

Here at MuggleNet, our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.