R.I.P. Roger Ebert

Scott Hardie | April 4, 2013
I've been dreading discussing this topic for years. Roger Ebert's passing today brings an end to his prolific writing and thinking, and his relentless promotion of the values of kindness and honesty. The best thing that can be said for his death is that it ends the suffering that cancer has long caused him.

I grew up watching his show and reading his reviews every week, and still continue today. Between his reviews, essays, books, blog, and tweets, I've probably read more words by him than anyone else I can think of. For a long time, I thought I was alone in feeling this special connection to him and appreciating how influential he had been to me, but then he ventured online and the outpouring of love was torrential: The man could hardly post a thing to his blog without the comments section lighting up with kind statements like "I've loved your writing for years" and "you made me a better writer" and "thank you for teaching me to love cinema." The trend continued on Facebook and Twitter, and undoubtedly is peaking today. Clearly, he has affected many more people much more deeply than a mere film critic should be able to do.

Already I dread checking out tomorrow's new movies without being able to read his take on them. It's been a while since I found his reviews useful in actually selecting a movie (after cancer, he seemed to give everything a passing grade), but the wit, warmth, and wisdom that he demonstrated in sharing his opinions were a treasure, and will be irreplaceable. It feels like I've lost an old friend. I could say how profoundly he shaped me as a writer, thinker, and consumer of culture, and grateful I am for his work, but thousands of other people are saying the same today, and I think the scale of his influence is clear.