A Short Note on the Passing of My Hero and Inspiration, Roger Ebert (1942 – 2013)

Posted on April 4, 2013

I’m sure there will be a bevy, a multitude, an avalanche of more eloquent remembrances of Roger Ebert than mine, so I will keep it short and sweet.

Without him, I would have never started this blog in the first place. At 13, I would have never started writing reviews. At 8, I would have never started to talk about film incessantly. He is my hero and my inspiration, and one of the biggest reasons why I love film and why I ever wanted to delve into its history and analyze its nuances, magic, majesty, and sometimes its follies.

I may not have always agreed with him, or even liked some of his reviews, but I always, always admired his passion and integrity. Losing him, even though I’ve never met him or even made contact with him, is like losing the person who got you into the thing you love and are intensely passionate about.

As Chris Jones titled his beautiful profile of Ebert, he will always be The Essential Man.

Goodbye, Mr. Ebert, and thank you.

P.S. I also want to thank everyone who reads this blog or has ever read my writing. It means the world to me. Thank you to all the film enthusiasts, bloggers, critics, buffs, etc. whom I talk to or have talked to, for you, like Ebert, have taught me a great deal about the movies, life, and writing and have made me a better critic and writer (and sometimes person). Thank you all, so much.