It's amazing though how many people this news has affected. He was in so many films over about three decades. Being a teenager, the only one I've really seen is Harry Potter, like many others my age. And yet, he was a part of - no, he wasn't just "a part of". He was so much more than just "a part of". If Snape had been a weak character, or a badly played character, the film series wouldn't have been half as good as it was. He helped make something that got so many young people into reading, me included, and helped discover a new generation's passion for the written word. It's an amazing achievement. The fact that we all feel a shared sense of loss is kind of beautiful in itself.
God, I'm rambling far too much. This probably makes no sense. We're all feeling the impact of this loss today.