Alan Rickman dies aged 69

The film world is in mourning after the family of Alan Rickman confirmed that the decorated British actor has passed away. He was 69.
The much-loved star is perhaps best known for his roles in Die Hard, Harry Potter - and, in Ireland at least, Michael Collins - but he enjoyed a massively successful career on both stage and screen over 30 years.
He passed away in London, following a battle with cancer.
A native of the English capital, he trained and worked as a graphic designer until he succumbed to his passion for acting and enrolled at RADA. His major breakthrough was his part in Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Christopher Hampton's Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 1986, a part which would earn him a Tony nomination when it moved to Broadway.
Soon, he scored some of his best known film roles, playing German terrorist Hans Gruber in Die Hard and the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
In a career that saw him collect an Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA and more, he was also noted for roles in 1995's Sense And Sensibility, as well as 2003's Love Actually.
Recent roles included parts in the Coen brothers' Gambit and as King Louis XIV in A Little Chaos. He stars opposite Helen Mirren and Aaron Paul in the as-yet-unreleased Eye In The Sky.
Rickman was the subject of a BAFTA lifetime achievement tribute in October 2015. Appearing on stage at London's Royal Opera House, he recalled such memorable moments from his career as falling off a building in Die Hard, playing Snape in the Harry Potter series, and directing A Little Chaos.
The accompanying A Life In Pictures montage underlined both the quality and scope of his work.