Legendary film critic Roger Ebert has died aged 70, after an extended period battling with cancer.
Famed for his Pulitzer-winning writing for the Chicago Sun-Times and his appearances on Siskel & Ebert At The Movies , Ebert’s passing came the day after he penned a final piece entitled My Leave Of Presence , in which he touched upon his most recent health scare.
“Thank you. Forty-six years ago on April 3, 1967, I became the film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times ," he wrote. "The immediate reason for my 'leave of presence' is my health. The 'painful fracture' that made it difficult for me to walk has recently been revealed to be a cancer.”
The critic credited with coining the term “two thumbs up”, Ebert was never one to shy away from a confrontation, or to stand up for a film he believed in, as seen by his reaction to a critical question during a screening of The Library at the Sundance Film Festival.
