Harry Potter star Alan Rickman dies

British actor Alan Rickman has died of cancer, widely remembered for his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films.

The actor died at the age of 69. In one of his interviews, Rickman revealed that he lost his father at the age of eight, who also died of cancer. The illness was likely hereditary.

In addition to Harry Potter, the actor appeared in Die Hard, Robin Hood and a number of other films, performed in theatre and was an active member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.