Roger Ebert has died at the age of 70, according to various outlets. Earlier this week, Ebert announced that the cancer he had battled before had returned and that he would be taking a “leave of presence,” which he described as his “not going anywhere,” but to write select reviews and leave other reviews to writers he most admired while he recuperated. At the time of his online announcement, Ebert still had several projects he was involved in, including a Kickstarter campaign to revive his TV show “At the Movies.”
Ebert rose to fame when he and Chicago Tribune movie critic Gene Siskel traded critiques and banter on “Siskel and Ebert and The Movies,” a show in which the two would discuss the latest films at the box office. The two popularized the “thumbs up, thumbs down” approach to reviewing films. Because of the popularity, this shorthand has been adapted and reused by many movie critics when discussing whether their audience should support a film.
After battling thyroid cancer, which caused Ebert to have both his jaw removed and his voice stripped away from him, Ebert still reviewed movies with the same earnestness he’d shown in the past. A huge user of Twitter and Facebook, Ebert was able to share his views not just on film, but on politics and the world at large.
I’m sure I’m not the only entertainment lover who will miss Ebert’s insight and love for the big screen.
