Harry Potter's Matthew Lewis Revisits "Surreal" Day Alan Rickman Died as Details of His Will Emerge

The actor passed away nearly five months ago in January

By Samantha Schnurr May 31, 2016 7:13 PMTags
Alan Rickman, Matthew LewisStephen Lovekin/Getty Images

After all this time, Matthew Lewis remembers the day he learned of Alan Rickman's untimely death as vividly as the first time five months ago. 

In early January, the man synonymous with Neville Longbottom was busy touring the set of the prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with a Harry Potter producer when he caught wind of the tragic news. 

"He was taking me around the studio when the news came through. We were both just completely stunned. But also, to be in the studio when that came through, suddenly every room that I went into, every corridor that I walked down on, I suddenly remembered a story or an image of Alan," Lewis told FAULT Magazine.

"It got a bit odd. It was quite surreal. But also, powerfully moving as well. It was quite nice to be there. All those happy memories came flooding back and I got quite nostalgic actually."

Among those memories were the special times they shared together off set, particularly in his trailer. 

"I recalled the trailer in which he offered me some of the greatest advice I ever received about this mad profession we shared," he wrote in tribute on Instagram on the day of his passing. "I will treasure those memories all my life. He inspired my career more than he ever knew and I'll miss him."

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On Jan. 14, the actor died in a London hospital at 69 years old after privately battling terminal pancreatic cancer. He left behind an estate reportedly worth over £4 million, a majority of which was ultimately designated for his wife, 69-year-old Rima Horton. The actor married the former Labour Party councillor in 2012 after over 40 years as an unwed couple. The pair did not have any children. 

Additionally, the actor left money to his three siblings and reportedly thousands of dollars to charities, particularly those involved in the arts. 

That kind of compassion is a characteristic his fellow actors hold dear. 

"Contrary to some of the sterner(or downright scary) characters he played, Alan was extremely kind, generous, self-deprecating and funny," co-star Daniel Radcliffe wrote after Rickman's death. "Film sets and theatre stages are all far poorer for the loss of this great actor and man."

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