Richard Griffiths OBE, 'one of the most loved, recognisable and greatest British actors', has died after complications following heart surgery.

Best known for his brilliant portrayal of Uncle Vernon in the Potter series, Griffths had enjoyed an enormously successful and wide ranging career in film, theatre and television. Starting out with the Royal Shakespeare Company, he went on to a number of television roles before becoming a fan favourite in the 1987 British classic, Withnail and I. In recent years, he headed back to the stage with roles in the Alan Bennett'sThe History Boys and the 2007 revival of Equus, featuring Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe.

RIP Richard Griffiths.

Seemingly an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what if first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelation?

"Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different to the Harry Potter series, which has been published so brilliantly by Bloomsbury and my other publishers around the world. The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry’s success has brought me, and with that new territory it seemed a logical progression to have a new publisher. I am delighted to have a second publishing home in Little, Brown, and a publishing team that will be a great partner in this new phase of my writing life"