Alan Rickman

Five years ago today, we lost British actor Alan Rickman. As with Princess Diana, I can close my eyes and recall the instant I heard the news. My heart broke and the crack will never mend.

Alan Rickman was that special.

So extraordinary, he stood above all other men.

Now and then, social media lights up with the question, ‘Which lost celebrity do you miss the most?’ Not surprisingly, many name Alan Rickman. He was a wonderful actor, in film and on the stage. A good man on and off screen.

In other words, he was a gentleman.

His soul shone as bright as his phenomenal acting talent. Perhaps even brighter, his innate goodness of heart, fueling his brilliance as a character. Even as villains, he made audiences love him. I know I first fell for him in his role as the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham…

One of my favorite Alan Rickman films is Truly, Madly, Deeply. If you haven’t seen it, I won’t reveal the plot to avoid spoilers. Just know it is one of the most heart-wrenching love stories ever…

Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990) remains the one Rickman film that has deep personal poignancy for me.

Many years ago, (actually, decades) a dear friend often came to stay at my home. A highlight of her visits would be to stay up late watching Alan Rickman films. Our fave was Truly, Madly, Deeply. We’d get comfy on my sofa, pile on blankets, turn down the lights, and watch. As we did, we drank wine, ate English snacks, and sobbed our way through several boxes of tissues.

Alan Rickman was our hero of heroes.

His voice…

Anyone who remembers will understand when I say it was too beautiful to even attempt to describe.

Truly, Madly, Deeply played in modern-day London, a city my old friend and I dearly loved. That added to the magic. But, really, it was all about him. Those long-ago ‘girlfriend nights’ are no more, but even though my old friend and I no longer speak (don’t ask), I am betting she, too, thinks fondly of those wine and tissue-filled nights of binge-watching Alan Rickman.

As much as I loved him in that film, he really melted my heart as Colonel Brandon in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (1995)…

I suspect many of us who loved Alan Rickman swooned over him as the dashing, noble and heroic, Colonel Brandon.

He was the epitome of a romantic hero…

Who can resist a man who reads? Along with everything else wonderful about him?

Alan Rickman loved books and reading in real life, too.

That he is no longer here seems to give credence to the saying that the ‘best are taken first.’ Weeds do tend to thrive, while the most beautiful blooms disappear so quickly.

What remains is the love he left behind.

The light of his incredible talent, the greatness of his heart and soul.

I’m not a soothsayer, but I am sure those who mourn him will still feel that ache until we, too, breathe our last.

He was/is that loved.

RIP Alan Rickman ~ 21 Feb. 1946 – 14 Jan. 2016

Friends, if you loved him, too, what are your favorite memories of him?

Do you agree he’ll remain forever missed?