Alan Rickman’s Widow Reflects on His Death, Says He ‘Had So Much More to Give’

Alan Rickman’s widow, Rima Horton, is sharing a powerful message on the 10-year anniversary of his death.

Horton, 78, reflected on her late husband while appearing on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, Jan. 27 to promote a charity prize drawing to raise funding for Pancreatic Cancer UK. Rickman died from the disease in 2016.

“He had so much more to give. There were so many more things he could have done,” she shared on the broadcast, per The Independent.

Horton said that the Die Hard star had extended his life expectancy to six months through chemotherapy, but it “didn’t cure it.”

“The biggest problem is that by the time that people find out they’ve got it, it’s too late,” Horton said of the disease. “The symptoms are so difficult to work out. What we’re trying to do is raise money for a breathalyzer test which could provide an early diagnosis.”

The charity prize drawing involves a unique set of all seven Harry Potter hardcover books signed by cast members of the films, including Rupert Grint, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Emma Thompson, Matthew Lewis and more, according to a Pancreatic Cancer UK Instagram post. 

“Ten years on since he died from pancreatic cancer, we’re raising vital funds in his memory to change the future for everyone affected by this devastating disease,” the organization wrote on Instagram.

Rickman died at the age of 69 on Jan. 14, 2016. His family told PEOPLE in a statement at the time that “he was surrounded by family and friends.” The family had kept his cancer diagnosis under wraps up to that point.

Several of his fellow Harry Potter stars shared tributes to the longtime actor on social media including Daniel Radcliffe, who described Rickman as “one of the greatest actors I will ever work with” and “one of the loyalest and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry.”

His Harry Potter and Love Actually costar Emma Thompson called Rickman the “ultimate ally” and said that she would “remember most in this moment of painful leave-taking is his humour, intelligence, wisdom and kindness.”

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According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that over 67,500 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2026 and over 52,700 will die from the disease. The organization noted that pancreatic cancer accounts for about “3% of all cancers” in the U.S. and about “8% of all cancer deaths.”

The average lifetime risk of pancreatic cancer is about “1 in 56 in men” and about “1 in 60 in women,” the organization said, and noted that early detection is key to reducing the risk of death. Those with “high-risk features” or “genetic predispositions” are recommended to get screened for the disease.