Sharleen Spiteri, 53, has opened up on her friendship with the late Alan Rickman, 69, as she emotionally admitted to still being able to “hear his voice”. The Texas singer first met the Harry Potter actor when they “tango-ed” together in a music video before going on to become firm pals.
Opening up on Texas’ most unexpected fan, Sharleen revealed: “Alan Rickman, who I tango-ed with in the Texas video ‘In Demand’ and sang with [on the Texas track ‘Start A Family’].
“We were having a meeting about the video and who I should tango with and our friend composer Michael Kamen popped his head around and said, ‘I was on the phone with my mate Alan Rickman. He’s a big fan’.
“And it fell into place, we remained great friends and I miss Alan greatly, and I still hear his voice,” she added to NME.
Alan died four years ago after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
READ MORE: Harry Potter star Alan Rickman was ‘frustrated’ by Severus Snape role
The star was said to have been unaware of the severity of his illness at the time of his diagnosis, but felt progressively worse shortly before his death.
Emma Thompson, a close friend who worked with him on Love Actually and Sense and Sensibility, said she had “kissed him goodbye” and spoke of a “moment of painful leave-taking”.
The Harry Potter actor left behind his wife Rima Horton, an arts patron and former Labour councillor.
They had been together since they were 19 and had lived together for 35 years, marrying secretly back in 2012.
The Inner Smile singer told The Sun: “I thought to myself, ‘Oh my God, what am I walking into here?’ Literally, my stomach was turning.”
Misty dislocated her shoulder but otherwise was safe, leading to Sharleen giving her a good talking to.
She said: “As soon as I walked in she was just sitting there, and I ran over asking, ‘Are you ok? Are you ok?’ And then I went, ‘Were you on that bloody phone?’
“I could have killed her – she got a serious b******ing.”
Sharleen added that Sam was “quite a bit away” so wouldn’t have seen the accident.
The accident happened before lockdown, the day before Sharleen moved from London to Wales.
Misty is Sharleen’s daughter with her ex-partner, magazine editor Ashley Heath, who she separated from in 2005, three years after Misty’s birth.
The singer went on to marry Welsh chef Bryn Williams in September 2018, with a reception for 500 held in a marquee at their home after a church ceremony in Llandyrnog Denbighshire, Wales.