The acting world has lost one of its singular voices today, as sources confirm that Alan Rickman has died. He was 69.
Rickman has long been known in the world of British theater, but he broke through in Hollywood when he was 41, playing Hans Gruber in Die Hard. Since then his star has only risen, bringing his trademark rasp to the roles of Metatron in Dogma, Marvin in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and, most famously, to the role of Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. He directed two feature films, 1997’s The Winter Guest and 2014’s A Little Chaos. He had been a fixture of British theater for all his life.
Rickman died in London on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. He’s survived by his wife, Rima Horton. The two married last year after having been together for 50 years.