The Chicago-Sun Times is reporting the death of Roger Ebert, its longtime movie reviewer and one of the most famed and influential writers in the history of film criticism. “It is with a heavy heart we report that legendary film critic Roger Ebert has passed away,” the Times says via its Twitter account. The news comes only a day after Ebert announced that he would be taking a “leave of presence,” significantly reducing his workload after the cancer that took his jaw and ability to speak returned, forcing him to undergo radiation treatment. Ebert had been battling the disease since 2002, in the meantime remaining an unflappable and prolific presence in the print and digital world that allowed him to continue the work that he loved for so long. His final review was for The Host, posted on March 27. Ebert was 70 years old.
We are working on a longer look at Ebert’s life and career that will be posted soon.