Today, the world lost a titan in both the journalism industry and the film industry. Film critic Roger Ebert, whose reviews have been read and published all over the world died after a long battle with cancer at the age of 70.Ebert was the main film critic at the Chicago Sun-Times for almost all of his professional career. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1975, the same year that he and Chicago Tribune film critic, Gene Siskel, began their long television career on the locally broadcast show Sneak Previews. In 1978, the show was picked up by PBS for national broadcasting, and in 1982, the two started a new nationally syndicated show entitled At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. In 1986, the two critics entered into a partnership with Buena Vista Television to create the most popular of their shows, Siskel & Ebert & The Movies. Tragedy struck the show in 1999 when Gene Siskel passed away after complications from a surgery to remove a brain tumor, but Ebert pushed on, bringing in guest reviewers before announcing fellow Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper as his permanent co-host.
Ebert was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in 2002, and cancer in his salivary gland in 2003. Ebert remained dedicated to his work even after his years of treatment rendered him unable to speak in 2006, but began to slow down in 2010. For the past year, he had Roeper and other guest critics write for his site in addition to his own reviews. On April 2, 2013, he announced that his cancer had returned, and that he would take a leave of absence from his work. He died two days later.
Roger Ebert was an inspiration to many, and he will be missed by countless more. Farewell Mr. Ebert. I give your life and career "Two Thumbs Up".
Here is Ebert reviewing one of my favorite movies of
all time, Spirited Away.
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