The steamship that actor Robbie Coltrane had dedicated the last years of his life to restoring will be rebuilt in his honour.
Robbie Coltrane’s spirit will live on through a famous Clydebuilt steamship he helped restore according to a charity behind the vessel.
The towering actor, who played Hagrid in the Harry Potter franchise and starred in TV series Cracker, died on Friday at the age of 72.
Coltrane, who was patron of Friends Of TS Queen Mary, had been helping to raise funds for the £6million revamp of the historic ship he went “doon the watter” on as a child with his late dad.
Friends Of TS Queen Mary chairman Iain Sim said: “Robbie was unstinting in his passion, enthusiasm and support for TS Queen Mary, a ship he often referred to as being his ‘beautiful baby’.
“Away from the public eye he would spend countless hours helping us to engage with donors and corporate sponsors, even taking the time to sign around 300 Christmas cards every year.
“He loved casting his eye over the new plans and schematics for TS Queen Mary (he was an excellent engineer) and he took real pleasure in sitting on her boat deck and imagining her getting ready to cast off.
“When we last met with Robbie he was in good spirits. He encouraged us to keep going, and to make sure that his “beautiful baby” has a bright future. That is exactly what we will do, with renewed determination.
“We will, of course, miss Robbie greatly, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family.’
“However, this is not goodbye. TS Queen Mary was such a huge part of Robbie’s life that wherever his ‘beautiful baby’ goes, a part of him will remain with her.”
The Sunday Mail revealed in September that Coltrane had raised £75,000 to help restore the steamship by selling personalised videos and “shout-out” messages on the celebrity video site Cameo.
At the time Coltrane said: “When the opportunity arose to do Cameo, I was delighted - not only to be able to connect with my fans but also to raise money for my beautiful ship.”
Built in 1933, the TS Queen Mary is now berthed at a dock in Pacific Quay, next to the Glasgow Science Centre.
Friends Of TS Queen Mary, have raised more than £3.8million towards the restoration project and hope the ship will be in service by 2024.
During his illustrious career, Coltrane starred in hit TV shows including Alfresco and Tutti Frutti as well as in the James Bond films Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough.
Coltrane was made an OBE in the 2006 New Year’s honours list for his services to drama and he was awarded the Bafta Scotland Award for outstanding contribution to film in 2011.
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