The Chicago Sun Times reports the passing of Roger Ebert at age 70. It was just in the last two days that Ebert announced his cancer had returned and that he was giving up many of his responsibilities. He’d suffered since having part of his jaw removed in 2006. Ebert could no longer speak, and had turned over a lot of his leg work to his indomitable and wonderful wife, Chaz. It seems unusually cruel that both he and his longtime partner Gene Siskel were taken at early ages. Ebert was a favorite among Hollywood stars and directors. His reviews were unusually fair and incredibly generous (although not always, but mostly). He was not part of the print Pauline Kael clique of film critics, but he voiced popular opinion and championed indie films and smaller projects. His tenacity and courage in the last few years was remarkable for someone who was so ill.
Two thumbs up for Siskel and Ebert. They were classy guys.
Here’s the link to the Sun Times. Condolences to Chaz and his family: http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/17320958-418/roger-ebert-dies-at-70-after-battle-with-cancer.html
