Two days after announcing his cancer returned, Roger Ebert, famous for his "two thumbs up" slogan, passed away on Thursday at age 70.
Ebert previously lost his voice and much of his jaw due to thyroid and salivary gland cancer, according to CNN. He also suffered a hip fracture in December, which led to the discovery of his returned cancer.
His longtime partner, Gene Siskel, passed away in 1999 after battling a brain tumor. The duo was well recognized for their highly acclaimed show, "Siskel and Ebert At The Movies."
The announcement of Ebert's death came from The Chicago Sun-Times, the base of operations for Ebert's syndicated reviews, according to CNN.
"We were getting ready to go home today for hospice care, when he looked at us, smiled, and passed away. No struggle, no pain, just a quiet, dignified transition," his wife, Chaz Ebert, said in a statement Thursday.
Ebert's last words were, "I'll see you at the movies," which he wrote in an essay to his readers on his blog.
The essay titled, "Leave of Presence", which Ebert wrote to explain how he was going to cut back on movie reviews in the future, focusing on only the films he wanted to see. His longtime fantasy.
"My intent is to continue to write selected reviews but to leave the rest to a talented team of writers handpicked and greatly admired by me," Ebert wrote. "What's more, I'll be able at last to do what I've always fantasized about doing: reviewing only the movies I want to review.
"Last year, I wrote the most of my career, including 306 movie reviews, a blog post or two a week, and assorted other articles," he said. "I must slow down now, which is why I'm taking what I like to call 'a leave of presence.'"
Ebert began his career at the Sun-Times on April 3, 1967 and wrote about 200 reviews a year for the 46 years he was part of the newspaper.
He is also the recipient of a 1975 Pulitzer Price for film crticism.
