So Long, Professor Snape

Millennials will best remember him as Professor Severus Snape, the fictional character in author J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. He is characterised as a person of great complexity, whose coldly sarcastic and controlled exterior conceals deep emotions and anguish. However, Alan Rickman portrayed perhaps the best cinematic villain of all time as Hans Gruber in the original Die Hard with Bruce Willis.

Sadly, Rickman has died at the age of 69 after waging a secret battle with cancer, his family said today. The British actor, known also for his role in Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood, kept his fight with illness private before his death. It is not yet known what type of cancer the star suffered from, or how long he was secretly battling the illness. He passed away in hospital this morning, surrounded by relatives and friends.

J.K. Rowling led the tributes to Rickman today, calling him ‘a magnificent actor and a wonderful man’, as dozens of celebrities and public figures expressed their grief over his death.

Rickman revealed last year that he had secretly married his partner Rima Horton in a New York ceremony in 2012, 35 years after they first began their relationship.

His family said in a statement today: ‘The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends.’ His brother David, 71, added: ‘He passed away this morning. He was in a hospital at the time.’

Rickman, who was born into a working-class family in London, began his acting career on the stage before graduating to Hollywood films.

The actor’s other well-known films include Truly, Madly, Deeply, Sense and Sensibility and Love Actually, in which he played the husband of his frequent collaborator Emma Thompson.

J.K. Rowling said on Twitter today: ‘There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman’s death. He was a magnificent actor and 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.’