Alan Rickman:
“Each character I play has different dimensions. I’m not interested in words that pull them together.”
These words, shared with the world by Alan Rickman himself, could not be a more accurate description of who he was as an actor. Known by all of us as the man who took the character of Severus Snape and transformed him into the true person JK Rowling envisioned when writing the Harry Potter series, the loss of Rickman is a great one. At age 69, Rickman passed away after a long term battle with cancer surrounded by friends and family.
With 68 film credits to his name and 16 awards, there is no doubt of this man’s talent.
Expressing talent at a young age, Rickman made the decision to apply to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at age 26 after having the chance to experience what he referred to as “other roads that had to be traveled first.” During his time of traveling these other roads is when Rickman met his lifetime partner Rima Horton. The two met when Rickman was only 19 and Horton was 18, but only just married in April 2015 in a secret wedding. Rickman aimed to keep his private life separate from the publics eye and he did just that.
Rickman’s ability to take a character and truly embody every aspect was amazing. He was able to capture every level that defined the roles he took on. Among Rickman’s role in the Harry Potter films, another notable role was that of Hans Gruber in Die Hard.
While it may seem his main roles have been those of villains, Rickman has actually assumed a number of diverse film roles. Some of his other roles have been in films including Love Actually, Alice in Wonderland, A promise, Lee Daniels’ The butler and many more.
This loss was a big one and the mark that Rickman left will be one that will be remembered for ages. While his role as Severus Snape was not his only one, that will be the role that people will remember. Rickman brought tears to the world with that role and will now forever remain in our hearts. Always.
David Bowie:
“I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human. I felt very puny as a human. I thought, ‘F*ck that. I want to be a superhuman.”
Nothing or no one could describe David Bowie better than he described himself. He chose to be something new, different, and daring. In a career spanning 51 years, Bowie sold 140 million albums since his first 1967 release and gave the world 111 singles. Bowie not only reinvented himself, but also sound. After an 18-month battle, the world had to say good bye to this musical genius after he passed away from cancer two days after he turned 69.
Married to international model Iman, she and their daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones, will forever hold them in their hearts. His son, Duncan Jones, from his previous marriage publicly posted on Twitter saying “Very sorry and sad to say it’s true. I’ll be offline for awhile. Love to all.” This tragedy brought sadness to not only his family, but an entire community of friends and supporters.
True to his character, Bowie wrote songs about being an outsider. He was able to capture emotion and drama into his songs, bringing the world the music they know and love. Samples of his hits include “Lets Dance,” “Changes,” and “Space Oddity.” Bowie’s last album, “Blackstar,” was released on his birthday. This new album was a collaboration with a jazz quartet and did not let the world down.
On top of a singer and songwriter, Bowie was also a multi- instrumentalist, record producer, painter, and actor. He is recognized for Labyrinth, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and The Prestige. Not only that, but Bowie produced albums for others, including Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and Mott the Hoople. Influencing the world in multiple aspects, Bowie truly made the most of his career.
Although he was constantly changing, Bowie was always recognizable. His voice was his own and he was his own. The music world lost a great asset, one that will not be able to be replaced. Bowie will be remembered by the people that he had the biggest influence on, performers and fans together. Rock on, Bowie.