I had actually met Ebert a dozen or so times over the past 15 years (parties, festivals and film series, and one class
), and while I can't claim to have known the man, any time I managed to see him or speak with him was always fun. He even remembered a discussion we had concerning Lindsay Anderson...though he initially attributed the discussion to someone else (which is still pretty damn cool). I'll miss his reviews and I'll miss the man.
p.s. Ebert has a memoir (Life Itself) that he wrote shortly after his previous bout with cancer. It's a decent read and has some interesting insights on film and life and how they react and interact with each other.