JK Rowling has paid tribute to Brazilian Harry Potter star Caio Cesar who died after being shot in the neck.

Cesar, who was a police officer in Rio de Janeiro, provided the voice of Harry in the Portuguese versions of the eight Potter films.

He was killed while on duty on Complexo de Alemao in Rio on Thursday.

His death was confirmed by military police and Warner Bros, according to a local news site.

Rowling tweeted: “Desperately sad to hear that Caio Cesar, Brazilian voice of Harry Potter, has died at the age of 27. My thoughts are with his family.”

Her post has been favorited more than 17,000 and received over 12,000 retweets.

Fans have also paid tribute to Cesar.