On 4 April 2013, the Chicago Sun-Times announced the death of film critic Roger Ebert. While, I didn’t always agree with his opinion on films and I hated the film he wrote: Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, I loved to read his writings. He was a wordsmith in the classic sense of the term. In 2010, I found out that he’d had cancer and had multiple surgeries that left him without a lower jaw or the ability to eat or speak. Links to his essay, Nil By Mouth, describing his condition are below and first appeared on this blog in February 2010 (that entry is below in its entirety). Roger Ebert was extremely talented and his wit, humor and opinions will be missed.
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One of my favorite movie critics, Roger Ebert (Siskel & Ebert and Ebert & Roeper), last month wrote a wonderful essay, Nil By Mouth, that you should read. Surgeries for thyroid and salivary gland cancer, have left Ebert without the ability to speak or eat. Keep in mind that this was a man, who influenced millions weekly with his spoken words on TV. To a movie producer, a “Thumbs Up” from Ebert was as good as an academy award at the box office. His inspiring essay is not an exercise in self-pity, but rather a discovery of what really matters.
Ebert has lost his voice, but not his ability to speak and influence others by his writings. His website is here and his story, in his own words, about his illness and his battle with Disney to keep his show on the air are here.