- Eileen Ryan
- Roger Ebert passed away yesterday at the age of 70.
When I “came out” as bipolar in a blog post last summer, Roger Ebert was one of the first people to offer encouragement. He told his Facebook followers about my piece and referred to me as “courageous.” Not only was I flattered that he’d do such a thing, I was surprised that he was familiar with my writing at all. When I sent him an e-mail to thank him, he responded within an hour, and he shared a story about his own experience of being in therapy. By the indication of the many appreciations that have appeared since his death, such generosity was characteristic of Ebert. He treated all of his peers with respect, particularly those first getting into the profession. Just how many critics have stories of receiving Ebert’s support when they were starting to write? I’ve encountered dozens in the past day alone.