Just four days after David Bowie died of cancer, another well-loved actor has passed away. Friends and family of Alan Rickman announced today that the actor has died after his battle with cancer. Rickman was 69 years old when he died.

Rickman was most famous for his portrayal as Severus Snape, a character from the 8-film franchise of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Rickman's character was a dark potions professor who had a complicated background. He brought the book character to life with the way he portrayed the role.

Besides Harry Potter, Rickman was also famous for his role as villain Hans Gruber from the movie Die Hard with Bruce Willis. According to interviews, Rickman was the one who had the idea of making the master criminal be a smartly dressed man instead of a terrorist-looking villain.

Apart from his role in Die Hard and the Harry Potter films, Rickman has been recognized as among the best-known stage and screen actors of Britain. In the past 30 years, he has been able to widen his career in acting after starring in different types of screenplays. His training as an actor started with stage performances before he came to New York to be part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of the classic Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 1987. His portrayal as Vicomte de Valmont earned him a Tony nomination.

As news about his death flood online news, fans of the British actor have shared their condolences. In addition to this, those who have been able to work with the actor also shared their condolences to the family of Rickman. Among those who have shared their condolences include J.K. Rowling, Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Gambon, David Morrissey, Stephen Fry, and many others.

Rickman died in the company of his friends and family members. He is survived by his wife, Rima Horton; whom he married in secret last year despite of being together since he was 19 and Horton was 18.