Good Morning America Film Critic Joel Siegel Dies

One of the stalwarts of film crticism, Good Morning America's Joel Siegel, died Friday after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 63.

Siegel was born in Los Angeles and attended UCLA. He's written for the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, and Sports Illustrated. He became an entertainment critic for WABC in 1976 and has been GMA's film critic since 1981.

"He was a gladiator—brave, wildly funny, passionate about Dylan, Ena and his family—and completely in love with every new day," GMA co-anchor Diana Sawyer said of Siegel. Dylan is his son and Ena, his wife.

Siegel was confounder of Gilda's Club, along with actor Gene Wilder, in rememberance of Wilder's wife, comedian Gilda Radner. Gilda's Club is a nonprofit cancer support center.