Veteran actor Alan Rickman passed away quietly in his home Wednesday night, ending his private battle with cancer.
The “Die Hard” star was surrounded by family and friends. As a much beloved character actor of stage and film, Rickman received an outpouring of condolences from both fans and his peers within the entertainment community, many who took to social media to grieve in public.
The 69 year old actor had not divulged his illness to anyone outside of his immediate family, but the immensely private man was used to keeping his personal life close to the vest, secretly marrying his longtime love Rima Horton last year. The two had been partners since Rickman was 19 and she was 18, opting to finally wed after a half century of companionship.
The London-born star began his career relatively later in life, first in the theater, including as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, before winning roles in British TV dramas.
He was already 40 when Hollywood finally came calling, making his cinematic debut as the memorable villain Hans Gruber in 1988’s seminal action classic “Die Hard”, which found him starring opposite of Bruce Willis.
He portrayed a slew of Hollywood villains in succeeding years, notably as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1991 Kevin Costner film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”. But his fame scaled new heights in latter years with his portrayal of Snape in the ever popular Harry Potter films.
Rickman won many accomplished awards as a thespian, taking home Tony Awards for his Broadway theatrics, as well as BAFTA awards for his work in film.
Not bad for a London boy who was once told by a drama teacher that his trademark voice sounded like it was “coming out of the back end of a drain pipe.”
Our hearts go out to his widow, and we miss Alan already.
Truly a talent for the ages.
