Anderson Cooper and Richard Roeper Discuss Roger Ebert's Death

Quiogue‘s Anderson Cooper interviewed Richard Roeper on CNN Thursday about his friend and former cohost Roger Ebert, who succumbed to cancer at age 70 earlier in the day.

Ebert, who made a career out of his “thumbs up/thumbs down” movie reviews, revealed that his cancer returned just two days before he died. He was known for his great wit and his insightful critical analysis and became a household name after teaming with fellow critic Gene Siskel for their television series At the Movies, which debuted in 1986. Together with Siskel, the duo told America what films to watch and which to avoid for many years until Siskel’s death from brain cancer in 1999. Roeper replaced Siskel at Ebert‘s side and the two continued the show until 2006 when Ebert began his own battle with cancer.

Ebert worked at the Chicago Sun- Times for about 46 years and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1975, solidifying his spot as one of the world’s most famous and respected film critics.

“I’m grateful today that he’s actually at peace, and very grateful for the outpouring of sympathy and love that I’m hearing from people, all the way from the President of the United States to guys on the street… he had that everyman quality which is I think is what made him such a universally beloved critic…,” Roeper said of his fallen friend.

Watch the video below to see Cooper and Roeper discussing Ebert, who leaves an enduring legacy behind.