Why Alan Rickman’s death has this Jersey guy choked up

You could say it's a testament of his talent that New Jersey fans are mourning Alan Rickman as though he was one of their own.

The British actor's death at age 69 has sent shockwaves around the globe. He's got a tremendously lauded legacy — but there's one role that hits home most for New Jersey fans.

"Metatron" in Dogma

Note: The clip above includes some profanity

New Jersey's own director Kevin Smith is remembering Alan Rickman as one of his "favorite people who ever lived." Rickman‬ played "Voice of God" Metatron in ‎his 1999 movie, "Dogma‬." Smith himself, of course, has some very personal ties to Monmouth County, and the film also did some shooting at the Shore.

"Alan was the first non-friend who signed up to the flick, but he became a great friend in record time," Smith wrote.

The famed New Jersey director wrote he was particularly amused by how much Rickman loved playing the anatomically ... well, absent (like a Ken doll) ... angel.

"One of the greatest actors who ever lived, tickled by a cinematic lack of a d--," Smith wrote.

Smith went on:  "Thank you for lending a hack like me your artistry and your credibility, Alan."

"You were never Snape to me as much as you were the adult Harry Potter himself: a bonafide wizard who could conjure absolute magic using merely words," Smith wrote. "He was a HUGE cauldron of win, this man. I'll miss him forever. Rest in Peace, Voice of God. Back to Heaven, where you came from."

On Twitter the director shared a set photo of Rickman with co-stars Salma Hayek and Chris Rock, adding "this one hurts." (Caution, there's some profanity in the Tweet). By mid-afternoon Thursday, it had been retweeted more than 3,000 times.