"A lifetime seems to have passed in minutes," reads a line from a letter Alan Rickman wrote back in 2011. He was saying farewell to his Harry Potter character Severus Snape but it couldn't hold truer now for fans across the world who are mourning the actor. Mr Rickman died at the age of 69 on January 14. He was suffering from cancer.
In his letter that Empire Magazine ran almost five years ago, the actor paid a touching tribute to the magical world he was leaving behind after finishing work on the last installment of the blockbuster series -
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
"I have just returned from the dubbing studio where I spoke into a microphone as Severus Snape for absolutely the last time," he says in his letter.
Now, fans of the actor are sharing the touching goodbye letter, in memory of their beloved Professor of Potions.
Photo Credit: Reddit/Empire Magazine
People online are also paying homage to the actor by sharing a moving scene from
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which shows students at Hogwarts raising their wands after the death of headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
Snape is the most complex character to inhabit the Harry Potter universe, starting out as unpleasant and unpopular but revealed at the end to be a tragic hero.
Rest in peace, Alan Rickman. You will be missed. Always.