British actor Alan Rickman has passed away from cancer at the age of 69, The Guardian first reported. The smooth-voiced Rickman was best known for playing the brooding Professor Severus Snape in the "Harry Potter" film franchise.

"The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends," Rickman's family said in a statement, according to the BBC.

Known for his distinctive voice, Rickman had a talent for playing the villain throughout his acting career in films like "Die Hard," "Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves," "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" and in the acclaimed 1995 HBO film "Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny." Rickman won a Golden Globe, an Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of Rasputin, according to ABC News. While Rickman's early career may have been defined by playing the big bad, that actor also played lighter roles in films like "Love Actually" and "Sense and Sensibility."

"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling took to her Twitter account to express the sorrow she felt when she heard of Rickman's passing. "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," Rowling wrote.

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

Rickman started his acting career at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He established his acting skills on the stage and won a Tony nomination for his 1985 performance as the conniving French aristocrat Vicomte de Valmont in "Les Liaisons Dangereuses."

Rickman is survived by his wife Rima Horton. The two met when they were teenagers in 1965 and finally married in 2012.

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