Reactions To Roger Ebert’s Death
In addition to the flood of Twitter posts on the passing of film critic Roger Ebert today — Ebert was a huge presence on the social media site with more than 800,000 followers — condolences are coming in from all corners, including from fellow Chicagoan President Obama. We’ll post more as we get them:
Related: Roger Ebert – An Appreciation
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President Barack Obama:
Michelle and I are saddened to hear about the passing of Roger Ebert. For a generation of Americans — and especially Chicagoans — Roger was the movies. When he didn’t like a film, he was honest; when he did, he was effusive — capturing the unique power of the movies to take us somewhere magical. Even amidst his own battles with cancer, Roger was as productive as he was resilient — continuing to share his passion and perspective with the world. The movies won’t be the same without Roger, and our thoughts and prayers are with Chaz and the rest of the Ebert family.
AFI President Bob Gazzale
Roger Ebert championed the art of the moving image and by the courage of his personal example demonstrated how much movies matter. On behalf of all of us who love the movies – thumbs up, Roger – for a life well lived and our heart-felt thanks for all the gifts you will continue to give us as time goes by.
Randolph Kret, Indican Pictures
We at Indican Pictures are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Roger Ebert. For a generation of filmgoers Roger was the voice they could trust — like a family member who would tell you if he didn’t like a film or praise it when he did. For us, he was an early supporter who critiqued our small films which helped us gain a national voice, a gift we will always be grateful for. The two words that sum up our experiences with Roger Ebert — were grace and passion. He was a passionate man about films and their impact on our lives and he so loved to share that passion with all of us. Having battled cancer myself I have some understanding of the battles he survived, but I could never match the grace, poise and good humor that he exhibited during such trying times. The movies won’t be the same without Roger, our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Chaz and the rest of the Ebert family. In closing we leave you with a line from one of Roger’s guilty pleasures: A line from The Mummy – “Death is only the beginning”. Roger – we look forward to your next act.
DGA president Taylor Hackford:
“From the mightiest blockbuster to the smallest independent film, Roger Ebert devoted his career to sharing his love of film with generations of moviegoers. The role of critics is to call them as they see them and Roger did so with integrity. In more than four decades of honest review of our films, Roger demanded excellence — but recognized directorial achievements. For his dedication and service to the craft, in 2009, the DGA awarded him our Honorary Life Member Award. He will be deeply missed.”
Morgan Freeman:
“He was one of the really great critics. Also an accomplished in depth interviewer for the Chicago Sun-Times. He took me under his wing early in my movie career and was always supportive. I’ll miss him.”
Ang Lee:
“It is a big loss today for anyone who loves film.”
Helen Mirren
“A great friend to the art and the commerce of film. He loved and understood the medium better than anyone. Many of us, including me owe him a great deal. We will all miss him very much.”
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