"NEW YORK - Joel Siegel, a longtime movie critic for WABC-TV and "Good Morning America" who racked up five New York Emmy Awards for his insightful work, died Friday, the television station said. He was 63.

The station said Siegel, who was famous for his weekly reviews, had been battling colon cancer.

"Joel was an important part of ABC News and we will miss him," ABC News President David Westin said in a release. "He was a brilliant reviewer and a great reporter. But much more, he was our dear friend and colleague. Our thoughts and prayers are with Joel's family."

Siegel was known for his sense of humor, movie acumen and sharp judgment. He never let an actor off the hook if the performance was lackluster.

"The appeal of Matthew McConaughey has long evaded me both as a pinup and as an actor," Siegel opined in his review of "We Are Marshall," a 2006 film. "His constant ticks, bad hair and strained syntax as a coach fumble what should have been the tragic and inspirational story of the rebuilding of Marshall University's football team after a devastating plane crash."

Dave Davis, president and general manager of WABC-TV, said the critic loved to poke at uninspiring movies.

"No one had more fun writing about a bad movie than Joel," Davis said.

ABC anchor Charles Gibson said Siegel knew how to tell a story.

"He had an inexhaustible supply of stories — most funny, many poignant, all with a point or a punch line," Gibson said.
"

Well, I'm sorry to hear about that.

Sadly, the last I had heard about him was that bullshit stunt he pulled at the CLERKS 2 critical screening (which days later Kevin Smith smacked him around about at a radio station).

But alas, who can carry his mantle of cheap movie plug-in quotes and the mustache?

Very sad, especially since he was so young.

He was a good guy... I always enjoyed watching his reviews and have done so for the past 30 years on our Eyewitness News. He was funny and fair and I'll miss his segments.

He always struck me as a genuinely friendly guy, who didn't take himself too seriously. He'll be missed.

I always remember seeing his name as a reviewer for the movies currently playing. Very sad to learn of his passing, but at the same time, it's obvious that he was happy with his career and seemed to be a very down-to-earth person who celebrited life.

WOW! How sad. I always enjoyed his reviews. A very funny guy too.

R.I.P.

What makes it sadder is the fact that he left behind a 9 year old son. Siegel's first wife died at a very young age... he remarried and the day he found out his wife was pregnant was the day he found out he had cancer. To watch him do his segments you would never have known that anything was wrong.

That is just heartbreaking to find out you are gonna have a baby is the day you find out you have cancer. God speed to his family and friends.

Very tragic. As SC said, Joel's first wife died of cancer at 31 or 32 years old. Then he gets married again and becomes a dad in his early 50's, then battles cancer for 10 years. He was a very courageous guy. R.I.P. Joel, you'll be missed.