Roger Ebert dies at 70 after battle with cancer
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
For a film with a daring director, a talented cast, a captivating plot or, ideally, all three, there could be no better advocate than Roger Ebert, who passionately celebrated and promoted excellence in film while deflating the awful, the derivative, or the merely mediocre with an observant eye, a sharp wit and a depth of knowledge that delighted his millions of readers and viewers.
“No good film is too long,” he once wrote, a sentiment he felt strongly enough about to have engraved on pens. “No bad movie is short enough.”
Ebert, 70, who reviewed movies for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years and on TV for 31 years, and who was without question the nation’s most prominent and influential film critic, died Thursday in Chicago. He had been in poor health over the past decade, battling cancers of the thyroid and salivary gland.
He lost part of his lower jaw in 2006, and with it the ability to speak or eat, a calamity that would have driven other men from the public eye. But Ebert refused to hide, instead forging what became a new chapter in his career, an extraordinary chronicle of his devastating illness that won him a new generation of admirers. “No point in denying it,” he wrote, analyzing his medical struggles with characteristic courage, candor and wit, a view that was never tinged with bitterness or self-pity.
Read more: http://www.suntimes.com/17320958-761/roger-ebert-dies-at-70-after-battle-with-cancer.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
I'm not a particular movie nut but I always liked to watch them review movies to see if there was something I really needed to see because it was outstanding.
This is very sad.
his movie reviews were always sprinkled with his observations and insights about how the film fit into our larger culture/values, etc.
and his recent blogging has been a delight.
i really, really will miss him.
absolutely my favorite critic, of movies and otherwise.
I grew up watching Siskel & Ebert. My dad often siding with Siskel, me with Ebert. My father was lucky enough to have met them both. It annoyed him because he said Roger was much friendlier and easier to talk to.
Not unexpected, but still heartbreaking.
The way he was towards the end...
The man kept his sense of humor.
RIP
RIP, Mr. Ebert
a great writer, a fine critic, and a wonderful perspective on things.
He was working on the craft he loved up almost to the very end.
He and Gene were must see T.V..
Chicago Tribune Gene Siskel on "Dances with Wolves"
A three-hour delight... The movie generates much of its power by being so life-affirming at a time when people feel nervous about the future. [9 Nov 1990, Friday, p.C]
Missed! 
I NEVER missed his shows, from the time I first discovered "Sneak Previews" on PBS way back in 1978.
I was sad when Gene Siskel passed, and now I'm even more sad. Both those guys fed and nurtured my lifelong love of movies.
Thanks for all your great writing, Roger. We'll miss you.
RIP, Mr. Ebert.
Rest In Peace, Roger Ebert
Rest in peace, Roger.
And the looks Roger would cut at him. 
Safe passage, Mr Ebert.
A Good man cannot live too long.
Condolences to his family.
I just read about his "leave of presence" yesterday & was hoping he'd rebound again.
I appreciated him so much.
So, so sad.
He was an amazing man. To not have gone into hiding when his illness took such a toll, but stepping up and sharing it with the world was such a brave, brave thing. And there will never, ever be another film critic like him. He loved movies so much, he never wanted a movie to fail, even if it was doomed from the start. He was my go-to guy for the movies, and he will be greatly missed.
And sending love and vibes to Chaz, I know she will miss him. They seemed to truly be soulmates.
(i never read them before)
it was almost a ritual to see a movie then look for his review to see what he thought of it.
and sometimes, you'd come across a review of say "Life of Pi" or "Tree of Life" and his writing was so observant and you could grasp how he was thinking in ethereal ways about the meaning of life, and how a movie had moved him to a state of "wonder" and in that you could observe where he found so much joy and inspiration.
and share in that as well.
i will really, really miss him.
You were never silenced, in death we will remember!!
Go well with fair winds.......
such a great, honest and insightful tribute for an amazing individual.
when we do good work, when we overcome things, we make each other better.
and our world as well.
RIP.
glad I can share my grief with people like you that feel the loss.
But, "No good film is too long."
*sniff* .....
Gonna miss him....
