Sad milestone as it was on this day 20 years ago we lost one of the great film critics Gene Siskel who of course was best known as part of the Siskel & Ebert team with Roger Ebert with the two hosting several critic shows from 1975-1999 and popularized "Two Thumbs Up". Siskel passed away from complications from brain surgery at 53 years old and at the time of his death was on a six month leave of absence that began on February 3, 1999. Anybody who knows Siskel & Ebert know he had been in declining health for nearly a year as he underwent surgery for a brain tumor in May 1998 and was never the same after that as the June 1998-January 1999 episodes can be tough to watch as we was slower. Outside of the show, Siskel worked for the Chicago Tribune, TV Guide, and CBS This Morning while working locker room reports on Chicago Bulls games for the local WBBM station.
While Ebert soldiered on with Richard Roeper who did a good job, it obviously wasn't the same and it makes you wonder what more they could've done had Siskel lived longer. Plus, it would've been nice if Ebert kept their old specials like "If We Picked The Winners" and "Memo To The Academy".
