Alan Rickman’s Widow Marks 10 Years With a Moving Tribute to the Harry Potter Legend
Ten years after Alan Rickman’s death, Rima Horton is turning tribute into action with a fundraising push to fight the disease that took him — and Harry Potter co-stars are rallying to help her reach the goal.
Ten years after Alan Rickman died, his wife Rima Horton is marking the anniversary by doing something very Rickman: cutting through the noise and trying to make a real difference. She’s teamed up with Pancreatic Cancer UK to raise money for early detection research — and yes, some of the Harry Potter cast are helping.
Rima Horton on Rickman, and why this matters now
On BBC Morning, Horton talked about how brutal pancreatic cancer can be. She said that for many people, the window is heartbreakingly short — often around three months — and that chemotherapy gave Rickman about six months. He died on January 14, 2016, at their home in London.
"He had so much more to give. There were so many more things he could have done."
Horton isn’t just looking back; she’s pushing forward. The money she’s raising with Pancreatic Cancer UK is aimed at developing a breathalyzer-style test that could flag pancreatic cancer early. Her point is simple and stark: by the time doctors can confidently diagnose it, it’s usually too late to treat effectively. A quick breath test could change that timeline and give people a fighting chance.
The fundraiser: a very Snape-adjacent raffle
In Rickman’s honor, Pancreatic Cancer UK is running a raffle for a signed Harry Potter book set. There are 12 signatures in total, with names fans will recognize, including:
- Rupert Grint
- Ralph Fiennes
- Helena Bonham Carter
- Matthew Lewis
- Jason Isaacs
Entering is straightforward: tickets are £5 on the charity’s website, and you can buy in until Sunday, March 1, 2026. If you grew up with him as Snape or met him first as Hans Gruber, this is a meaningful way to honor the man and help push a tough area of research forward.