Film critic Roger Ebert was not only the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize, but one of the only critics known to the general public, thanks to his long-running movie review shows such as “Sneak Previews” and his thumbs-up or down movie reviews. He died Thursday of complications from cancer, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He was 70.

The avuncular champion of movies big and small had been fighting thyroid cancer since 2002, and in the past few years spoke with a voice machine. The latest show to bear his name is the PBS series “Roger Ebert Presents at the Movies,” in which he briefly appears on camera with a prosthetic chin though other critics shoulder reviewing duties.

He apperared on the Oprah Winfrey show in 2010, speaking with a machine that tailored his speech more closely to his natural voice.

He continued reviewing films and kept in the public eye...