Robbie Coltrane's ashes scattered at his favorite NYC haunts where he 'practically lived' in the '70s
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Robbie Coltrane's ashes have reportedly been scattered around his favorite places in New York, including the deli where a famous scene from 'When Harry Met Sally' was filmed. The 'Harry Potter' actor, who died in October 2022 at the age of 72, apparently loved New York and had previously admitted to "practically" living there in the 1970s. Thus, it was ideal for his family to spread his ashes at the legendary actor's beloved haunts in the city.
Coltrane shared a special love for Katz's Delicatessen located on the Lower East Side. "Oh, the smell when they'd take the pastrami out of the oven. They put my photograph up, three down from Frank Sinatra. Proudest moment of my life," he said when speaking about the 135-year-old restaurant to New York Magazine. While already immensely popular among New Yorkers, Katz's popularity increased via the 1989 romcom, with the iconic scene of Meg Ryan's Sally faking an orgasm, prompting a fellow diner to tell a waitress, "I'll have what she's having."
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Coltrane admitted to practically living in New York where he got his break in the 1979 thriller 'Subway Riders' by filmmaker Amos Poe. The 74-year-old director reportedly joined Coltrane's son Spencer McMillan and sister Alice in their venture of scattering his ashes around Manhattan.
Coltrane's ashes were scattered from a small tube in Washington Square Park and near The New York Film Forum as well as Katz's. According to the DailyMail, Poe shared about the event on his social media. Hee wrote, "Look at who stopped by, like the lost Scottish son of sorts, Spencer McMillan. He brings his father's – Robbie Coltrane's – ashes to spread in his beloved New York. Honored and befitting. First stop Washington Square Park… then Katz's deli, pastrami counter… the Film Forum…"
The actor, who played the iconic character of Hagrid in the 'Harry Potter' films, died in Forth Valley Hospital in Scotland from a string of conditions, including multiple organ failure due to sepsis, diabetes, and obesity. As per Mirror, the actor had been unwell for some time due to his health issues. His death certificate provided both his professional and original birth name. Born as Anthony Robert McMillan, the actor adopted the surname Coltrane in the 1970s as a tribute to the jazz saxophonist John Coltrane.