Severus Snape actor Alan Rickman was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015 and made a heartbreaking request to doctors, his wife Rima Horton has told the Sunday Times
Alan Rickman had a heartbreaking seven-word plea for doctors following his devastating cancer diagnosis. The 69-year-old Harry Potter legend passed away in 2016 after being told he had pancreatic cancer.
Survival rates for the disease remain desperately low. Just 22 per cent of those diagnosed survive beyond 30 days, with approximately 62 per cent of patients only receiving their diagnosis at stage four.
Now, a decade on from his passing, Alan’s widow Rima Horton has disclosed his poignant final request to medical staff during his last weeks.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, she revealed: “The first thing he ever said to the oncologist was, ‘ I don’t want to die in pain, ‘ and they made sure he didn’t”.
Alan’s dear friend Emma Thompson, who appeared alongside him in Love Actually, reportedly helped make his final weeks as peaceful as possible. Rima recalls how Emma “created a salon” for Alan, bringing in a standing lamp and throws to transform his clinical hospital surroundings, reports the Express.
Rima believes Alan wished to “say goodbye to his friends” in his own way, even meticulously organising his own funeral service. She is now putting up for auction a collection of Harry Potter books – a nod to Alan’s memorable role as Severus Snape – signed by his fellow cast members, including Helena Bonham-Carter, Ralph Fiennes and Rupert Grint.
She describes Snape as a “brilliant” character and an “important part of Alan’s life”. Rima confesses that Alan’s diagnosis back in 2015 came as a “tremendous shock”.
He was in Los Angeles promoting A Little Chaos when things took a turn. Alan began experiencing “a very nasty pain in his leg”, his wife recalled.
Upon returning to the UK, the star was urged to see a doctor immediately. Scans subsequently revealed he had pancreatic cancer.
He chose to keep the diagnosis private from loved ones, as they would “look at him and say, ‘ Oh how sad'”, Rima explains. He went on to have chemotherapy, which is believed to have extended his life by three months.
Proceeds from Rima’s Harry Potter auction will now fund a pioneering breath test at Imperial College London. The test could detect pancreatic cancer in its earliest stages, potentially saving lives like Alan’s.
Rima has recently shared Alan’s true feelings about Harry Potter. The actor documented his thoughts in a journal, soon to be published as Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries.
Ahead of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’s release, he confessed to feeling “a bit nothing about HP, which really disturbs me”, and this unease appeared to persist. His reaction to watching the first film focused solely on the music.
He noted that it “acquires a scale and depth that matches the hideous score by John Williams”. The actor did, however, seem to thoroughly enjoy the Savoy after-party, his diary entries suggest.
Following the second film’s release in 2002, he appeared to have already grown weary of the role, noting, “reiterating no more HP. They don’t want to hear it”, though he subsequently indicated his willingness to “see it through”.
Source: Mirror
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