Alan Rickman Death: Actor Known For Legendary Roles Including Professor Snape In Harry Potter Passes At 69, Fans Mourn On Twitter [PHOTO]
Alan Rickman, a legendary British actor who many grew to loathe and love in his role as Professor Snape in the Harry Potter series, has died.
Rickman, 69, passed away Thursday after a brief battle with cancer.
Rickman was well-known for roles on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company and in U.K. television projects before landing the legendary role of Gruber in Die Hard. He also found a new legion of fans after being cast as Severus Snape, the Potions Professor who often presented himself as Harry Potter's nemesis in the film franchise based off J.K. Rowling's wildly successful book series.
Other notable roles include the role of Harry in the romantic ensemble film Love Actually.
Several fans have taken to Twitter to mourn the loss of Rickman since news broke of his death:
RIP Alan Rickman. Forever Hans Gruber in my mind.
— Capp00 (@Capp00) January 14, 2016
Guys I'm so sad about Alan Rickman, I loved him in the Harry Potter series — texas 5sos team (@Texas5SOSTeam) January 14, 2016
Alan Rickman was a great character actor with a voice so rich and so interesting he could’ve made the phone book sound interesting. — Touré (@Toure) January 14, 2016
RIP Alan Rickman thanks for making my childhood magic. you'll never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/JKxTWzneOj — rt pinned tweet? (@justinscliquee) January 14, 2016
Really sad news. Alan Rickman will live on in Harry Potter fans hearts...Always pic.twitter.com/IGZBi0IVtJ — Dave Cad (@DaveCadBlogs) January 14, 2016
Our thoughts, prayers, & heavy hearts go out to Alan Rickman's family. Join us in honoring our beloved Severus Snape https://t.co/nw4S9CXpMn — The Leaky Cauldron (@leaky) January 14, 2016
raise your wands one last time for Alan Rickman. pic.twitter.com/9SknEDPPik — shery (@imthatkidshery) January 14, 2016
Woke up in Palo Alto w/ news of Alan Rickman's death .Loved him. First David Bowie and now Alan Rickman. Very sad week. RIP. — Katie Couric (@katiecouric) January 14, 2016
Alan Rickman RIP. Cancel Christmas. — Carter Bays (@CarterBays) January 14, 2016
No!! LOVE this actor!! RIP what a talent. https://t.co/bHRPZcBumi — Lyndsy Fonseca (@LyndsyMFonseca) January 14, 2016
You will be missed, Professor Snape. As Dumbledore puts it, "death is but the next great adventure." https://t.co/tfGQPWrhaT — Janess Ann J. Ellao (@jaellao) 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
None of Rickman's co-stars have yet responded to the news on social media.
UPDATE 10:04 A.M.:
J.K. Rowling and Emma Watson have both tweeted about Rickman'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
#alanrickman pic.twitter.com/4WXwnoUtM7 — Emma Watson (@EmWatson) January 14, 2016
Daniel Radcliffe has also spoken up about the news, sharing a touching tribute for Rickman on Google Plus:
Matthew Lewis, who portrayed Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter, has also taken to social media to post a tribute to Rickman via Instagram:
I was at Leavesden Studios today when I heard the news. As I walked through the canteen I thought of Alan queuing up for his lunch with us mere mortals. I recalled the trailer in which he offered me some of the greatest advice I ever received about this mad profession we shared. Being back in those corridors made me remember a lot of things and I will treasure those memories all my life. He inspired my career more than he ever knew and I'll miss him. A photo posted by Matthew Lewis (@realmattdavelewis) on Jan 14, 2016 at 7:07am PST
