The death of the iconic music star David Bowie and the notorious and beloved Alan Rickman has taken a huge toll on Urban Students, and on avid listeners and watchers worldwide. Both stars passed away this year from cancer at the age of 69: David on January 10th, and Alan just a few days later, on January 14th. To get a closer look at student’s reactions, and thoughts about these two men, I talked to some of David’s and Alan’s biggest fans.

   Griffin Bianchi (16’), who was raised to David Bowie’s timeless tunes, comments that what he loves about Bowie is that fact that, “he always seemed to be ahead in terms of his music production.” He says that because he was “willing to take risks and create things that other people weren’t willing to (create)” people were drawn to him.

   Those that Bowie affected in particular were that of the LGBTQ communities. Bianchi acknowledges his work with these communities saying that because Bowie “was so comfortable in himself and in his exploration of what was unknown, he was willing to put himself out there.” By embracing his gender-bending alter egos, he “inspired others to shed some fear about the unknown;” the things that were, in many environments, not socially acceptable, and “accept certain things about themselves.”

   Bell Davis (19’), comments that Bowie’s fearlessness around being “‘strange or different” is a “meaningful message for people today, especially for me.”

   The constant relevance and fluidity of Bowie’s personas is also mirrored in his music, and vice versa. Bianchi acknowledges this saying his music was “multi-faceted,” and that Bowie could “change his tone over the years and still be relevant.”

   Bowie’s death was a shock for his fans. Morse comments on this saying, “David Bowie is such an immortal person, and you feel such security when you are listening to his music that you don’t think he could ever die because it seems very unlike David Bowie to just die.”

     Alan Rickman, most widely known for his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series, and  starred in many other movies, also has a following among Urban students. Lily Dodd (16’), who notes Rickman as her favorite character in the Harry Potter series, admires his “gift of playing very bored and exasperated characters, but in a way that keeps you engaged.” Dodd admits that if Rickman had not brought a comical aspect to Snape’s menacing character, she would have been scared to watch the Harry Potter movies. “The humor lies in what Snape doesn’t say,” she noted. Attesting to the amusement she gains from Rickman, Dodd says, “I never had an Alan Rickman meet up fantasy, but if he were here, I would say thanks for the laughs.”

   Sam Masto (17’) notes Alan Rickman as “the role model I look up to as an actor.”

   He says that, being an actor, Rickman “has really inspired me in terms of how good he is at what he does, how kind he was to all the people he worked with… and how much work he put into every role, putting a lot of thought into character development.”

   Sarah Morse (17’), who still watches all the Harry Potter movies at least once a year, comments that Rickman’s role as Snape is “very complex because you have this dark exterior, but love inside.” She goes on to say, “having someone like that definitely showed me that there is more than meets the eye to most people.”

   Rickman’s diversity in roles, ranging from the austere role of Snape, to the comedic and romantic role of Harry in Love Actually, and the mass following he has gained world wide attests to his skill as an actor.  

   Bowie’s huge influence in the world of fashion, art and music, as well as the his affect on his listeners, and Rickman’s diversity in roles, ranging from the austere role of Snape, to the comedic and romantic role of Harry in Love Actually, cements both of these men in the minds of their fans. Both Bowie and Rickman were icons and role models for many, and although they will be missed on the screen, and on the radio, their lasting impression left on the entertainment industry will never be forgotten.