American film critic Roger Ebert has sadly passed away at the age of 70 after a long battle against cancer.

The writer, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer back in 2002 and also had surgery for cancer of the salivary gland, was one the world’s most-respected film buffs.

 

Roger continued to write after his diagnosis.

His career began at the Chicago Sun-Times, for which he ended up writing for over 40 years. But it wasn’t long before Ebert also carved out a successful career in television using his thumbs-up, thumbs-down rating technique.

News of the Pulitzer Prize winner’s death has come as a shock for most after he wrote an upbeat post on his blog earlier in the week about how he was about to undergo further treatment.

 

He was one of the world's most-respected film critics.

Barack Obama was among those who paid tribute to him. The President said: “Michelle and I are saddened to hear about the passing of Roger Ebert. For a generation of Americans – and especially Chicagoans – Roger was the movies.”

Ebert’s wife Chaz also spoke out about her loss: “I am devastated by the loss of my love, Robert – my husband, my friend, my confidante and oh-so-brilliant partner of over 20 years.”