A Tribute to Alan Rickman, beloved actor and director

Alan Rickman, 69, died of cancer on January 14, 2016. 

Courtesy of Getty via BBC

Alan Rickman, 69, died of cancer on January 14, 2016. 

Melissa Garrett

Today is a sad day for Potterheads everywhere.

The one, the only, Alan Rickman, best known for playing the beloved Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films, died of cancer at age 69. 

According to BBC, Rickman had been suffering from cancer. 

Floods of tweets and tributes to Rickman have been circulating the Internet, most notably from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.

BBC released an obituary for Rickman, saying “His sonorous, languid voice was his calling card – making even throwaway lines of dialogue sound thought-out and authoritative.”

BuzzFeed’s Spencer Althouse created a list of Rickman’s “23 Most Iconic Professor Snape Moments In ‘Harry Potter'”, including amusing moments (when Snape said “turn to page 394” and “every single time he would whack Ron or Harry on the head”) and heartfelt moments (“After all this time?” “Always.“).

USA Today created a GIF of Rickman’s most famous character outlines.

Fans at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter even raised their wands in tribute to Rickman.

Besides “Professor Severus Snape” in all eight Harry Potter films, Rickman played a number of characters over the years, including a variety of characters: “Hans Gruber” (Die Hard, 1988), “Sheriff George of Nottingham” (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, 1991), “Colonel Brandon” (Sense and Sensibility, 1995), “Alexander Dane” (Galaxy Quest, 1999), “Harry” (Love Actually, 2003) and “King Louis XIV” (A Little Chaos, 2014). 

Reprising his voicing of the “Blue Caterpillar,” Rickman will be featured in the upcoming film Alice Through the Looking Glass this May. Rickman’s most recent films include Eye in the Sky (2015) and A Little Chaos (2014). 

Needless to say, Rickman and his many beloved characters will be remembered and cherished by generations of fans.