Roger Ebert's Wife Chaz Says Their Life Together Was 'More Beautiful and Epic Than a Movie'

For many of us who grew up eagerly awaiting the Saturday showing of Siskel and Ebert — and who later came to respect Roger Ebert as a whip-smart cultural critic and master of the internet — his death yesterday was a major loss. It’s a less wonderful planet because he’s not on it.

Chaz Hammelsmith Ebert, Roger’s beloved wife of 20 years who referred to him as “my husband, my friend, my confidante and oh-so-brilliant partner”, spoke about the end of his life. “We were getting ready to go home today for hospice care, when he looked at us, smiled, and passed away,” she said in a statement. “No struggle, no pain, just a quiet, dignified transition.”