Richard Corliss, one of the world’s most passionate and influential voices on cinema, died Thursday at age 71. During his five decades as a film critic, 35 years of which were spent at TIME, Corliss reviewed more than 1,000 movies and authored four books.
TIME editor Nancy Gibbs sent the following message to the staff on Friday morning:
It is with great sorrow that I tell you that Richard Corliss died last night, following a stroke.
It’s painful to try to find words, since Richard was such a master of them. They were his tools, his toys, to the point that it felt sometimes as though he had to write, like the rest of us breathe and eat and sleep. It’s not clear that Richard ever slept, for the sheer expanse of his knowledge and writing defies the normal contours of professional life.
Everyone who had the pleasure of working with him has stories of his kindness, his quirks, his humor, his obsessions, the bright, fresh breezes of his head and heart. And the many millions more who had the pleasure of reading him found the most engaging and trustworthy guide not just to what movies were worth seeing, but to the sprawling variety of his interests and passions. Our tributes and a sampling of his writing from his 35 years at TIME allow us to savor the immense range and excellence of his work as one of the world’s most important voices on film, and so many other subjects.
We will miss him terribly, and our prayers are with his beloved wife Mary.
Read more about Richard Corliss’s life and work here
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