Even as I sit here writing this, mere days after the news broke, it’s still difficult for me, along with many other shocked and devastated fans, to believe that Alan Rickman passed away at the age of 69 on Thursday. We will never see his extraordinary talent come to life in new ways ever again or hear THAT deep, rich, British voice of his speak in that oh-so-eloquent way.(Alan Rickman could read the dictionary and I would never stop listening.)
Its strange how something like this, a human being we all never personally knew, but have their presence in our lives throughout the years, can bring people together all over the world. Everyone felt the grief and devastation right to their core, because it came out of absolutely nowhere. No one even knew that he had cancer, and the world was still in shock over David Bowie, losing his life just not even a few days prior.Great Britain has already lost two legend in less than two weeks into the new year. The only other time everyone else and myself was this devastated over a celebrity death, it was Robin Williams, who was basically everyone’s goofy, wacky but so well loved, uncle.
Rickman was famous for many roles such as Hans Gruber in Die Hard, the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, to the evil Judge Turpin in Sweeny Todd; The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility. But his biggest and perhaps most complex and well known of them all was his ten years of playing Professor Severus Snape; the vindictive Potions Master who never made Harry’s life easy, but still protected him at all costs, and became one of the most championed Slytherins of all time. People questioned Snape’s moral character for years, and there were many arguments over the TRUE side that he fought for in the Second Wizarding War.There was no better choice for this part than Alan Rickman, who was approached by the Queen…I mean, J.K. Rowling herself. Fun Fact: Jo gave Rickman Snape’s entire backstory prior to the first movie so that he could understand the character better and therefore incorporate it and well, we know how that turned out. Absolutely magnificent. Alan Rickman just was Snape, in every sense of the word. Although Snape was the complete opposite of Rickman’s true personality, his acting skills were just so great, you couldn’t tell the difference. Alan’s last movie will debut this March as Absolom the Caterpillar in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass.
Heartbroken fans all over the world continue to pour out their grief all over the world. The touching words penned by his fellow cast members, and fans all around the world, are moving everyone to tears. On the 14th, a single lily was placed outside his classroom door in the castle, of the Wizarding World located in Orlando. The same day, many witches and wizards raised their wands in memory of him outside the gates, much as the students of Hogwarts did, the night that Dumbledore died. Flowers are still being laid at the Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station, London.
The world has truly lost a wonderful person most of us didn’t know, but yet feel so connected to. I’m so happy he shared his talent with us all and it’s something we’ll appreciate. Yes I will cry more at Harry Potter now, and the world is a much worse off place without him, but in the words of Albus Dumbledore, “After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but, the next greatest adventure.”
Always. Until the very end.
