Alan Rickman has died at the age of 69.
The actor, who played Snape in the Harry Potter films, passed away in London.
His family confirmed his death today.
The British star had been suffering from cancer.
Known for his distinctive voice, the much-loved actor has been a fixture on the big screen since his breakthrough role as Hans Gruber in 1988's Die Hard.
He has also starred in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Love, Actually, Galaxy Quest, Rasputin and Alice in Wonderland.
Watch: Alan Rickman's last onscreen appearance in Eye in the Sky
Alan Rickman: a much-loved actor and the ultimate on-screen 'baddie'
However, he gained legions of fans for his role as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films.
A family statement said: "The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends."
Harry Potter author JK Rowling said she was shocked to her of the star's death.
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.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 14, 2016
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.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 14, 2016
Fans including Greg McHugh, Edith Bowman, Kevin McKidd and Richard Madden, took to Twitter to pay their respects to the much-loved actor.
#AlanRickman.. Auditioned me as a v young actor..he sent the most lovely, encouraging hand written note.. I still cherish it .. And him. RIP
— Kevin McKidd (@TheRealKMcKidd) January 14, 2016
2016 can we press Control-Alt-Delete?
— Janey Godley (@JaneyGodley) January 14, 2016
Honoured to have spent time with the man. I was so nervous. This was just last April. Xx https://t.co/pd9JjWLEF8
— edith bowman (@edibow) January 14, 2016
Dreadful to hear Alan Rickman has passed away. A wonderful actor and friend. What a sad day.
— Richard Madden (@_richardmadden) January 14, 2016
I do not want my heroes to die! Alan Rickman is dead & he was another hero. Alan - thank you for being with us. We are sorry you had to go
— Eddie Izzard (@eddieizzard) January 14, 2016
All the beauty we have lost this week. There was never justice. Goodbye Alan Rickman. We shall miss you.
— Alison Moyet (@AlisonMoyet) January 14, 2016
What desperately sad news about Alan Rickman. A man of such talent, wicked charm & stunning screen & stage presence. He'll be sorely missed
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) January 14, 2016
— John Bell (@JohnBell) January 14, 2016
“@guardian: Alan Rickman, giant of British film and theatre, dies at 69 https://t.co/LqYniU1lj6” Great actor. Sad news week.
— greg mchugh (@gregjmchugh) January 14, 2016
Alan Rickman was one of our favourite-ever guests at GFF. We're all speechless here. https://t.co/AdZg2WU9i0 pic.twitter.com/JPtSNqEfSj
— Glasgow Film Fest (@glasgowfilmfest) January 14, 2016
Rip Alan Rickman 😰
— Katy (@haymaya_) January 14, 2016
Horrible news! Rest in peace Alan Rickman https://t.co/NGquL62YDY
— Rebecca Miles (@beccmiles) January 14, 2016
So sad 😢 "take them" #AlanRickman https://t.co/a6U4PgNBgj
— Laura Murray (@LauraMurray1989) January 14, 2016
Devoed we have lost Severus Snape and Hans Gruber. One of our finest acting exports RIP Alan Rickman
— David Goodwin (@DAVEYG6) January 14, 2016
So sad. 2 Giants have left is in only a matter of days. You will be missed. #AlanRickman #RestInPeace
— Mia & Ty (@MiaandTy) January 14, 2016
The actor attended the Glasgow Film Festival in February 2015 to promote his film A Little Chaos.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel