LATEST: Actor Daniel Radcliffe chose to skip his beloved grandmother's funeral in Northern Ireland and continue his stint on Broadway this week (begs06Oct08) - because it's what she would have wanted.

Elsie Radcliffe - mother of Alan Radcliffe, the star's dad - passed away on 2 October (08) after a long battle with ill health. She was 79.

The Harry Potter star is currently starring in Equus on the New York stage and was due to fly back to the U.K. last Monday (06Oct08) to attend her funeral.

But he decided against attending the memorial service after talking it over with his parents.

A spokesperson for Radcliffe says, "It's been a very difficult time but Dan chose to remain in New York after discussions with his family.

"They decided that it was what his grandmother would have wanted. She was a strong supporter of Dan and his career and she wouldn't have wanted him to miss a performance."

Elsie was her grandson's biggest fan, and flew to London last year (07) to see his West End stage debut in controversial play Equus, despite suffering from heart problems.