JK Rowling revealed 'Harry Potter' spoiler to Alan 'Snape' Rickman

JK Rowling revealed the 'Harry Potter' spoiler to the late Alan Rickman long before she told her fans.

The 50-year-old author, who was one of many celebrities to pay tribute to Rickman, admitted that she revealed some information to him that was vital to the way he portrayed Professor Snape in the film series, reports News.com.au.

Even the 69-year-old actor, who passed away after battling with cancer last week, said that Rowling had given him an idea about the fate of his character in order to help his portrayal make more sense, but refused to say what she told him.

Following his death, a fan tweeted to Rowling asking if she could finally reveal what she had told Alan all those years ago.

Replying to the tweet, the author wrote, "I told Alan what lies behind the word 'always'.

"Always" refers to a part in the final book, where readers discovered that Snape had always been in love with Harry Potter's mother, Lily Potter.

It was Rowling's method of telling Rickman that Snape, who was regularly seen as a villain by characters in the books, wasn't the bad guy other characters made him out to be.