Alan Rickman has been a fixture in my life for as long as I can remember. Although Rickman has had many remarkable roles in Hollywood and Broadway, I have known him for his most memorable role as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise.

I was just seven years old when I was first introduced to Harry Potter and at that time, Rickman had been playing Professor Snape for nearly five years, becoming a staple in the franchise and bringing the character to life. You might be thinking that I am talking a bit too much about the character he played, rather than Rickman himself and you are absolutely right.

I did not know Rickman and I will not get a chance to know him but it is important to understand that for me, growing up and unbearably shy girl, these books and these movies were my childhood. To me, Rickman was Snape and Snape was Rickman. There was no separation between the two and I doubt there ever will be.

Severus Snape was a complex character and maybe even one of the most complex characters written to this day, but at the same time, he was loyal, protective, and loved with the biggest heart. He was undoubtedly “the bravest man I have ever known,” and that is exactly what Rickman was.

To me, Rickman was a man who brought my childhood to life, a man who lived through pain with his head held high, a man who loved his friends and the people that mattered deeply and wholeheartedly. Rickman was a courageous man that went on and lived despite all the obstacles life put in his way.

I have come to love Rickman over the years for his other iconic roles, but I will always remember him for his portrayal of Snape, the brilliant and heartbreaking character in which I first saw him act. “Always.”