Bobby Rivers, groundbreaking TV host and film critic, dies at 70… as tributes pour in from stars like Whoopi Goldberg and Katie Couric

Bobby Rivers, the popular film critic and talk show host, has died at the age of 70.

Rivers broke barriers as Milwaukee’s first black film critic to be a regular on television, and he went on to have high-profile hosting gigs on Food Network and VH1, including his eponymous talk show Watch Bobby Rivers.

WISN revealed that Rivers had died in Minneapolis on Tuesday.

His sister confirmed his death on Wednesday Facebook which was then deleted or set to private, writing that “Bobby passed away last night and is no longer in pain,” via Variety.

The late host was honored on social media by his friends and admirers, including The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg, Katie Couric and Sex And The City’s Mario Cantone.

Rivers died Tuesday in Minneapolis, according to WISN. Famous anchors, journalists and actors paid tribute to him, including Whoopi Goldberg and Katie Couric; seen in 2008 in New York

“Hello this pioneer Bobby Rivers… He brought SO much to the table. RIP Bobby,” Goldberg shared on Instagram with a year-old photo of herself and Rivers beaming next to each other.

Couric wrote that she was “so sad to hear this” in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“Bobby was a great guy and wonderfully warm, funny and smart,” she added.

Cantone’s post on X included a black and white photo of a young Rivers.

‘Rest in peace Bobby. You were such a wonderfully supportive intelligent, insightful man. You will be missed,” he shared.

Legendary Village Voice columnist Michael Must referenced Rivers’ status as an LGBTQ icon.

“Bobby Rivers was an openly gay pioneer. He was funny, campy, knowledgeable and groundbreaking,” he said on social media.

The film critic Stephen Witty focused on Rivers’ history as a film critic while praising him on X.

“Hello this pioneer Bobby Rivers… He brought SO much to the table. RIP Bobby,” Goldberg shared on Instagram with a year-old photo of herself and Rivers beaming next to each other

Couric wrote that she was “so sad to hear this” in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Bobby was a great guy and wonderfully warm, funny and smart,” she added

“Rest in peace Bobby,” Cantone wrote. You were such a wonderfully supportive intelligent, insightful man. You will be missed’

The film critic Stephen Witty focused on Rivers’ history as a film critic while praising him on X

The film channel Turner Classic Movies also paid tribute to the lifelong film lover

“A mutual friend just told me that @BobbyRiversTV has passed away. “Bobby was a very funny, knowledgeable journalist and a tireless advocate for greater diversity, especially in classic film,” he wrote.

Witty flagged Rivers’ writing about “race” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” as a “keeper,” adding, “I miss him already.”

The movie channel Turner Classic Movies tweeted: “We are saddened to hear of the passing of groundbreaking television personality Bobby Rivers.

“As an avid and knowledgeable film fan at heart, we will miss him sharing his love of the classics with the #TCMParty community and his thoughtful essays on his blog.”

Rivers grew up in South Central Los Angeles and later attended Marquette University in Wisconsin.

He started broadcasting at Milwaukee radio station WQFM, where he became a popular figure after landing a morning news spot.

According to Variety, he was fired from the station in 1978 after three petitions were signed by more than a thousand people calling for his reinstatement.

The public support helped the up-and-coming host renegotiate his contract and return to the station for another year.

He became the first black film critic to make a regular TV appearance in Milwaukee for WISN-TV in 1979, and he also contributed to the nationally syndicated PM Magazine.

In 1984, he began co-hosting a daytime talk show on WISN, but it was canceled the following year.

After growing up in LA and moving to Wisconsin for college, Rivers established himself as a popular radio host before taking his film criticism to television in 1979; seen in 2006 with Amy Sedaris

In the mid-1980s, he hosted a daytime talk show in Milwaukee. He graduated to hosting his own VH1 show Watch Bobby Rivers in 1987, and later was a veejay with Rosie O’Donnell on VH1 until 1990; seen in 1988 with O’Donnell and Roger Rose