Film Critic Roger Ebert Dead at 70

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that its film critic Roger Ebert has died. He was 70 years old.

The paper says on its website the Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic died Thursday.

Ebert was known for his thumbs-up, thumbs-down movie reviews that influenced moviegoers across the nation.

On Wednesday, he announced on his blog that he was undergoing radiation treatment after a recurrence of cancer.

Ebert was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2002 and later had surgery for cancer of the salivary gland. He lost his chin and his ability to speak. But he later resumed writing full time and eventually even returned to television.

Ebert started as a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967. In 1975 he became the first movie reviewer to get the Pulitzer Prize for criticism.