# Alan Rickman dies at 69 of cancer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 14, 2016, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124 "2016-01-14T13:00:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/81 "2016-01-14T19:10:12Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > My SO says that at this rate we’ll only have Jayden Smith and Channing Tatum left over by 2017. ☹ > > I kicked him in the shin. Egads. You should’ve aimed higher. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/82 "2016-01-14T19:12:02Z")
Somewhere, Jeremy Irons is making taunting phone calls to cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/83 "2016-01-14T19:20:49Z")
By Grabthaar’s hammer, by the Suns of Warvan, he will be avenged! I loved him in _Galaxy Quest_. Rest in peace, Mr Rickman. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/84 "2016-01-14T19:35:13Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > These surprise deaths-- they’re getting to me. > [@WordMan](#): > > Alan Rickman, Star of Everything He Appeared In, Dead at 69. Yep. 2016 is not starting well :(. RIP to yet another towering giant of entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/85 "2016-01-14T21:09:33Z")
Considering the timing of his death so close to Bowie’s, it’s a little creepy that Rickman’s Galaxy Quest character was Dr. _Lazarus_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/86 "2016-01-14T21:12:53Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Considering the timing of his death so close to Bowie’s, it’s a little creepy that Rickman’s I honestly thought you were gonna suggest Rickman was secretly Bowie all along. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/87 "2016-01-14T21:17:47Z")
Donald Trump is 69 years old. Just saying. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/88 "2016-01-14T22:01:14Z")
It’s not often that celebrity deaths hit me hard, but this one hurts. Total punch in the gut when I saw the news this morning. The world has lost a good person and a phenomenal actor. I don’t think Alan Rickman ever gave a bad performance in his life. This really sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/89 "2016-01-14T22:30:17Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I just wanted to mention his appearance in _[Dogma](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDJq0bNJbQA)_, one of my favorite films. I loved his on-going annoyance at his clothes getting dirty: > [@](#): > > **Bethany:** “What are you?” > **Metatron:** “I’m pissed off, is what I am! Do you go around drenching everybody that comes into your room with flame-retardant chemicals? No wonder you’re single.” But , yeah, this one sucks. I got Bowie and why he was so big influential in music but I was never really the audience for his work. May have to have a night of viewing his films ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/90 "2016-01-14T22:37:37Z")
Ok, I figured out my confusion – CNN said he won a BAFTA and was nominated 3 other times, but their sentence wrapped around an image and I was skimming. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/91 "2016-01-14T22:48:01Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > Donald Trump is 69 years old. Just saying. 😉 I believe this round of cancer is only taking spectacularly talented people, so Trump can breathe easily. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/92 "2016-01-14T22:54:00Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > I believe this round of cancer is only taking spectacularly talented people, so Trump can breathe easily. Depends how you frame the criteria: Trump, Bowie, and Rickman all fit “beloved\* over-the-top performer”. 🙂 \*To some, indisputably. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/93 "2016-01-15T00:04:13Z")
First time I saw Mr. Rickman act was the Barchester Chronicals. He played a swarmy Mr. Slope. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/94 "2016-01-15T00:07:02Z")
…poor Severus. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/95 "2016-01-15T00:18:00Z")
Just for the record, although I worked with a Christopher Lee and a Wayne Rogers, and knew a David Bowie, I don’t know _anyone_ named “Rickman”. You can’t blame this one on me. Seriously, though, I loved his work. He was the only good thing in Costner’s _Robin Hood_, and he was superb in _Galaxy Quest_. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/96 "2016-01-15T01:02:26Z")
Well, damn. First Bowie and now Rickman. 2016 is indeed not shaping up to be a good year. RIP, Herr Gruber/Prof Snapes. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![IaMoDiNaRy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IaMoDiNaRy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IaMoDiNaRy)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/97 "2016-01-15T01:18:26Z")
R.I.P Mr. Rickman! This is sad news, indeed. I was very honored to have met Alan Rickman way back in 1990. At this point in his career, there were only two movies I’d seen him in… Die Hard and The January Man. I was a Flight Attendant back then for American Airlines. He was on a transcon flight that I worked from JFK to LAX. I remember he was extremely polite, courteous and smiled a very shy smile each time I interacted with him. He said thank you for every little thing, so unlike some of the other celebrities I’d had on my flights. I got the very strong impression that he did not want to be recognized or to receive any special attention. Of course, we’re instructed to never bother any of the celebrity passengers and I never gave any indication that I knew who he was. I also remember he ate EVERYTHING I served him for dinner, salad, steak and veggies, chocolate chip cookies, cleaned his plate! So that’s my story… He will be missed… ---
**Author:** ![Donegal\_Dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Donegal\_Dragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donegal_Dragon)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/98 "2016-01-15T01:47:19Z")
Got to see him in John Gabriel Borkman with Fiona Shaw(his Harry Potter compatriot) at the Abbey Theater in Dublin. Spectacular performance! Nobody could dominate a stage more completely. He will be sorely missed. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/99 "2016-01-15T02:04:59Z")
We now live in a world without Christopher Lee and Alan Rickman. Class acts, both of them. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124/100 "2016-01-15T02:34:59Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Gawker actually got it right - their headline: > > Alan Rickman, Star of Everything He Appeared In, Dead at 69. To quote Professor Flitwick: “nicely worded”. It’s bad enough watching your childhood legends pass. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alan-rickman-dies-at-69-of-cancer/743124.md?page=6)