Alan Rickman, the famous British actor and director most prominently known for his famed role as Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” films, died at age 69 from cancer on Thursday Jan. 14.

“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling shared her condolences through social media. “There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman’s death,” she tweeted. “He was a magnificent actor and a wonderful man.”  
Daniel Radcliffe, Rickman’s “Harry Potter” co-star, also chimed in on social media to pay tribute to Rickman in a lengthy Google Plus post. He included in his post that Rickman was “one of the greatest actors I will ever work with” as well as “one of the loyalest and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry.”

Emma Watson, fellow Potter actress, tweeted, “I feel so lucky to have worked and spent time with such a special man and actor.”

Loyal “Harry Potter” fans in the Staples community were also surprised and saddened at the loss of Rickman.

Alex Suppan ’16, an avid reader and viewer of the “Harry Potter” series, remembers always being a fan of Rickman. “I was surprised [when I heard the news],” Suppan said. “Snape was one of my favorite “Harry Potter” characters because he was the hidden hero. I think he was an amazing actor and he played the part well.”

Vig Namasivayam ’16 shared a similar somber view and also voiced his appreciation of Rickman’s other challenging film roles, like Hans Gruber as the villain in “Die Hard.”

“I was pretty sad when I found out Rickman died because he’s always managed to play a villain of sorts that I really can’t help liking,” Namasivayam stated. “From Snape to Hans in “Die Hard,” he played some great roles that are among my favorite movie characters of all time. It’s pretty sad to see him go.”

Through decades of work on stage and screen, it’s evident that the English star left an extraordinary legacy behind as a definitive actor for generations of audiences.