Alan Rickman's Cause Of Death Determined, How Long Has The Actor Had Cancer?

One of the most talented and most admired British actors for the past quarter century, Alan Rickman, has died in London at the age of 69 - his death was confirmed by his family. According to them, he was "surrounded by family and friends" when he died. 

According to BBC, a family statement has been released. "The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends," it read.

Cast and crew that had the privilege to work with him before were among the first few people to pay their respects to the late actor and made a statement about his passing. One of them is Daniel Radcliffe, who wrote that he was one of the greatest actors he will ever work with, as well as "one of the loyalest and most supportive people I've ever met in the film industry."

Another "Harry Potter" cast also spoke up about it. "Everybody loved Alan," Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore, said. "He was always happy and fun and creative and very, very funny."

The novel's author, J.K. Rowling also expressed her dismay with the news.

"There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman's death," she said. "He was a magnificent actor & a wonderful man."

But one of the most emotional and lengthy statement came from Emma Thompson, whom he had worked with in "Love Actually." In her statement, she wrote that he was her friend.

"Alan was my friend and so this is hard to write because I have just kissed him goodbye," she said. "What I remember most in this moment of painful leave-taking is his humour, intelligence, wisdom and kindness."

As known to fans, the late actor has been in the acting industry for decades now and has starred in a number of memorable movies, playing memorable roles - making him one of the most memorable actors in the world. He found a worldwide following for portraying the role of Professor Severus Snape in the very successful "Harry Potter" films, according to The Guardian.

Although it has been pretty clear that Alan Rickman's death is caused by cancer, there is no information yet as to how long he had been battling with the disease.