Alan Rickman Dies at 69

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Caroline McFarland, Writer / Pop Culture Editor

Alan Rickman, a loved British actor who was known for his roles in Harry Potter and Die Hard, died from a short battle with pancreatic cancer on Jan. 14, 2016. He was 69-years-old.

Rickman passed away while surrounded by friends and family in a London hospital. According to The Telegraph, friends of the beloved actor reported that he had been unaware of the severity of his illness until the weeks leading to his death.

Rickman leaves behind his wife, Rima Horton. The couple had been dating since their late teens. Rickman revealed his marriage to Horton in April of last year, announcing that he had married her three years prior.

Rickman’s friends, family, and fans were absolutely devastated. Friends and co-stars turned to social media to express their sadness and pay tribute to him. Daniel Radcliffe, who starred in the Harry Potter films with Rickman, wrote a lengthy and emotional post on his Google Plus page, “Alan Rickman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with. He is also, one of the loyalest and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry. He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter. I’m pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in London and New York. He didn’t have to do that. I know other people who’ve been friends with him for much much longer than I have and they all say ‘if you call Alan, it doesn’t matter where in the world he is or how busy he is with what he’s doing, he’ll get back to you within a day’.”

Rickman was known for playing characters with harsh personalities. Radcliffe added, “People create perceptions of actors based on the parts they played so it might surprise some people to learn that contrary to some of the sterner (or downright scary) characters he played, Alan was extremely kind, generous, self-deprecating and funny. And certain things obviously became even funnier when delivered in his unmistakable double-bass.”

Radcliffe continued, “As an actor he was one of the first of the adults on Potter to treat me like a peer rather than a child. Working with him at such a formative age was incredibly important and I will carry the lessons he taught me for the rest of my life and career. Film sets and theatre stages are all far poorer for the loss of this great actor and man.”

J.K. Rowling, author of the famed series, tweeted, “There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman’s death. He was a magnificent actor & a wonderful man. My thoughts are with Rima and the rest of Alan’s family. We have all lost a great talent. They have lost part of their hearts.”

Emma Thompson, a close friend of Rickman’s and his co-star in several films including Love Actually, stated to The Hollywood Reporter, “Alan was my friend and so this is hard to write because I have just kissed him goodbye. What I remember most in this moment of painful leave-taking is his humor, intelligence, wisdom and kindness. His capacity to fill you with a look or lift you with a word. The intransigence which made him the great artist he was — his ineffable and cynical wit, the clarity with which he saw most things, including me, and the fact that he never spared me the view. I learned a lot from him.”

Fans paid tribute to the late actor in London shortly following his death. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station was transformed into a memorial as they placed flowers, handwritten notes, and photographs at the tourist attraction.

Source: Telegraph UK
Source: Telegraph UK

Rickman will be remembered for all of his roles, but millennials will always memorialize him as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. Other famous roles of his include Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1998), Harry in Love Actually (2003), and Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility (1995). He will be greatly missed.