He passed away shortly after announcing his cancer had returned.

http://www.suntimes.com/17320958-761/ro ... ancer.html

RIP Mr. Ebert.

Was a follower of his site in my more formative years. Really enjoyed his writing. And it was always a joy to catch Ebert & Roeper on TV.

First time I ever heard of or saw Siskel and Ebert was in 1977. And the movie they were reviewing was this little thing called Star Wars. Their show gave me my first glimpse of the movie - Some girl with weird hair saying "Here they come!" followed by funny-shaped space ships flying around shooting at each other. Went out and saw it with my brother the next day.

No man has impacted the way I view film (and possibly life) more than Roger Ebert. Whether writing about a film he liked or disliked, his enthusiasm, thoughtful intelligence, and humanism usually shined through. While the general public may remember him more for his smug TV persona, and I will always remember and be grateful for the wonderful films and directors which he brought to my attention. His Great Movies tome is an indispensable source of film knowledge. His contention that “It’s not what a movie is about, it’s how it is about it” will always be a film criticism truism. In short, he's irreplaceable.