Harry Potter and Die Hard actor Alan Rickman dies at 69

It's sadly been confirmed that British actor Alan Rickman, best known for his roles in Die Hard and Harry Potter, has passed away at the age of 69 after a battle with cancer. The news was announced in a family statement which read: "The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends."

Alan Rickman worked in film and on stage for over 30 years and had a reputation for playing baddies, such as Hans Gruber in Die Hard, the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (for which he won a BAFTA), and Snape in the Harry Potter franchise. However, he also appeared in a number of other major films, including Sense and Sensibility, Love Actually and Truly, Madly Deeply.

He most recently reprised his role as the Blue Caterpillar for sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass, which will be released in May 2016.

Lauren O'Callaghan

Lauren O'Callaghan is the former Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar+. You'd typically find Lauren writing features and reviews about the latest and greatest in pop culture and entertainment, and assisting the teams at Total Film and SFX to bring their excellent content onto GamesRadar+. Lauren is now the digital marketing manager at the National Trust.