Joel Siegel, movie critic for ABC's "Good Morning America" died of cancer last Friday in New York at the age of 63, media reported Monday.(File Photo)

    BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Joel Siegel, movie critic for ABC's "Good Morning America" died of cancer last Friday in New York at the age of 63, media reported Monday.

    Siegel, who was famous for his weekly, often humorous reviews, had stopped working just two weeks ago.

    Siegel had battled cancer once before in 1997. Diagnosed at the time with colorectal cancer, he underwent surgery, chemo-therapy and radiation.

    "Joel was an important part of ABC News, and we will miss him," ABC News President David Westin said. "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."

    "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."

    Siegel had been a regular fixture on "Good Morning America" since joining the broadcast in 1981, easily recognizable by his thick mustache and glasses.

    He had racked up five New York Emmy Awards for his insightful work and received a public-service award from the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith. Besides, he won the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association Award for general excellence in individual reporting.

    (Agencies)