Death
In 1998, Siskel underwent surgery for a cancerous brain tumor. He announced on Wednesday, February 3, 1999 that he was taking a leave of absence but that he expected to be back by the fall, writing "I'm in a hurry to get well because I don't want Roger to get more screen time than me".
On Saturday, February 20, 1999, Siskel died from complications of another surgery at the age of 53. After Siskel's death, the producers of Siskel & Ebert hired other film critics and began using them on a rotating basis as an audition for a permanent successor. Ultimately, Ebert's Chicago Sun-Times colleague Richard Roeper was hired and the show was renamed Ebert & Roeper at the Movies. The last film Siskel reviewed on television with co-host Ebert was The Theory of Flight on Saturday, January 23, 1999. The final film that he reviewed in print was the Sarah Michelle Gellar romantic comedy Simply Irresistible, which he gave a thumbs-down.
Siskel was survived by his wife, Marlene, and their children, Kate, Callie, and Will and is interred at Westlawn Cemetery.
Read more about this topic: Gene Siskel
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