Paul Grant obit

 

Star Wars and Harry Potter actor Paul Grant dies suddenly at 56 after collapsing at King’s Cross

He was not on the list.

Star Wars and Harry Potter actor Paul Grant has died at the age of 56 after a lengthy battle with drug and alcohol addiction.

Grant’s family has confirmed that the father-of-three was taken off his life support machine on Sunday.

The actor had been found by police last Thursday passed out in front of King’s Cross station. Unresponsive, he was rushed to hospital where he was declared brain dead by medics.

His daughter Sophie Jayne Grant, 28, from Peterborough, told The Sun: "I’m devastated. My dad was a legend in so many ways.

“He always brought a smile and laughter to everyone’s face. My dad, I love you so much. Sleep tight."

The actor, who stood at 4ft 4in, played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi where he starred alongside Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill.

Grant also played a goblin in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and appeared in the 1986 film Labyrinth as part of the goblin corps.

He also starred in the 1988 film Willow with Val Kilmer and 1985 Tom Cruise movie Legend, and previously spoke about his addiction demons, which worsened following the breakdown of his marriage to Janet Crowson.

“I need help,” he told Sunday Mirror in 2014. "I’ve been on cocaine and it has just got worse. I’m drinking and smoking what I can get.

“I had a family, I was married, now I’m divorced. I’ve lost everything... I don’t know what I want at the moment. I had money, I blew it all, I spent it on drugs and prostitutes."

Following the tragic news, fans flocked to social media to share their condolences and pay tribute to Grant.

Grant’s other credits include “Willow” (1998) alongside Val Kilmer, 1986’s “Labyrinth” starring David Bowie, the Tom Cruise flick “Legend” and “Deuce Bigalow 2.”

The British actor faced issues with drugs and alcohol and admitted that he “lost everything,” including by spending money on cocaine and prostitutes.

His problems came to light in 2014 after photos surfaced of Grant snorting lines of coke, the Sunday Mirror reported at the time.

“I need help. I’ve been on cocaine and it has just got worse,” Grant confessed. “I’m drinking and smoking what I can get.”

Grant said his life had been on the decline ever since he split up with his wife, Janet Crowson, which he blamed on the fact that he’d cheated on her several times and had gone “AWOL.” He said things snowballed to the point that his family “disowned” him and his career opportunities “dried up.”

“I had a family, I was married, now I’m divorced. I’ve lost everything,” said Grant, who also spent time in jail for assault, according to the Mirror.

Grant’s friends and family reacted to his passing.

“I’m devastated,” said his daughter, Sophie Jayne Grant. “My dad was a legend in so many ways.

“He always brought a smile and laughter to everyone’s face.”

Grant’s girlfriend Maria Dwyer, 64, called the late star “the love of my life” and “the funniest man I know.”

“He made my life complete,” she continued. “Life is never going to be the same without him.”

“He was a lovely bloke,” said an unnamed family friend. “He’s always battled with drugs and alcohol addiction but he was a talented actor.

“He called himself the ‘King of the Dwarfs.'”