So long, Alan Rickman. We'll miss you, Professor Snape. Always

Alan Rickman, the British actor who received unfathomable global adulation for his portrayal of Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movie franchise, has died. He was 69.

Rickman, an ardent theatre performer and a politically active Englishman, was suffering from cancer, when he succumbed to the disease earlier today.

Known for his spectacular stints in big budget films such as Harry Potter and Die Hard, Rickman also essayed superlative roles in British movies such as Close My Eyes (1991), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991), Love, Actually (2003), The Winter Guest (1997) as well as A Little Chaos (2015).  

Rickman was also a consummate stage actor, putting together, acting in and directing a number of plays. Passionate about international politics, he co-wrote and produced (with The Guardian's current editor Katherine Viner) the award-winning play My Name is Rachel Corrie, based on the emails of a young girl who was mowed down by a bulldozer while protesting against the atrocities of the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza.    

He was a lifelong member of the Labour party, saying he was born with a Labour card in his pocket!

One of his memorable lines reads: "Talent is an accident of genes, and a responsibility."