Thursday morning was a somber time for fans of the Harry Potter franchise. Actor Alan Rickman, famously known for his portrayal of Severus Snape in the movies based on the best-selling book series by J.K. Rowling, passed away at the age of 69 after a battle against cancer.

Rickman’s passing came as a surprise to many. The actor, deciding to leave the spotlight for the stage, kept his personal life highly under wraps. He never disclosed to fans that he was sick, and it is still unknown what kind of cancer the actor had or when he was diagnosed.

Born Feb. 21, 1946, Rickman began acting at age 32 when he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.

“There was an inevitability about my being an actor since about the age of 7, but there were other roads that had to be traveled first,” Rickman said in an interview on biography.com.

He broke the scene of American film with his role in Die Hard.

As far as his notorious role as Snape, Rickman joined the cast of Harry Potter when only three books had been written. Rickman, a native to West London, was also well known for his roles in Galaxy Quest (1999) and Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). You also might remember him as Harry from Love Actually (2003) and the voice of Absalom in Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Many expressed their sadness at Rickman’s passing on social media including Rowling who tweeted, “There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman’s death. He was a magnificent actor & a wonderful man. My thoughts are with Rima and the rest of Alan’s family. We have all lost a great talent. They have lost part of their hearts.”

Actors who worked with Rickman echoed Rowling’s sentiment.

“Working with [Rickman] at such a formative age was incredibly important and I will carry the lessons he taught me for the rest of my life and career,” Daniel Radcliff, known for his role as Harry Potter, wrote on his Google+. “Film sets and theatre stages are all far poorer for the loss of this great actor and man.”

Actress Emma Watson, who played Hermoine Granger in the Harry Potter series, chimed in via Facebook. “I’m very sad to hear about Alan today,” she said. “I feel so lucky to have worked and spent time with such a special man and actor. I’ll really miss our conversations. RIP Alan. We love you.”

Accomplished actor, icon in British film, and staple to the Harry Potter fandom, Rickman will be deeply missed by many.