Known for his roles in Die Hard, Sweeney Todd, Love Actually, and the most memorable one which is Proffesor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series, a giant of British screen and stage Alan Rickman has died  at the age of 69, as reported by The Guardian on Thursday.

His family confirmed his death to be peaceful and surrounded by loved-ones. He had secretly been battling cancer. Tributes from the fans who know him as Snape have been causing a lot of internet traffic. Though the people who knew him personally make sure to express their grief mostly on their social media accounts.

His Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe, took to his Google+ account to write about his friendship with Rickman, saying that he was one of the people who treated him more of a peer than a child during their filming days. He also revealed that Rickman has been very supportive of him and his post-Potter activities. 

"Alan Rickman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with. He is also, one of the loyalest and most supportive people I've ever met in the film industry. He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter. I'm pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in London and New York. He didn't have to do that. I know other people who've been friends with him for him for much longer than I have and all they say 'if you call Alan, it doesn't matter where in the world he is or how busy he is with what he's doing, he'll get back to you within a day'," Radcliffe wrote.

Radcliffe also added that people usually create their perceptions of actors based on the roles they play, that is why some people might be surprised to learn how Rickman is contrary to some of his scary characters, for he is actually extremely kind, generous, self-deprecating and funny.