The funeral services for iconic film critic Roger Ebert, who passed away Thursday at the age of 70, included several touching speeches from his friends and family.
"Whether or not we knew Roger, we knew he loved Chicago and Chicago loved Roger," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said during the services, according to The Chicago Tribune. "Roger was able to bring the spirit of American film alive."
The service began at 10 a.m. at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago and was open to friends and fans. Hundreds if not thousands were expected to attend. Ebert's wife, Chaz Hammelsmith; his granddaughter, Ravin; and Jonathon Jackson are among the speakers.
In lieu of flowers, mourners who wish to show support were asked to send donations to The Ebert Foundation, a nonprofit that supports arts and education programs.
Members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church were reportedly planning to picket the funeral over Ebert having mocked the group, which is infamous for protesting at soldiers' funerals.
A memorial tribute is also planned for Thursday, but details were not immediately available.
Ebert, the Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic and television personality who made famous the thumbs-up, thumbs-down reviewing style, died after a years-long battle with cancer.
Ebert's death came two days after he marked his 46th anniversary of becoming the Chicago Sun-Times' movie reviewer with a note on his website in which he vowed to keep working through a recurrence of cancer.
Millions of fans devoured his newspaper reviews, watched his groundbreaking television show and followed his blog. To many of those fans, he'll be the guy who shared their love of movies, and helped them understand how they could enrich their lives.
For years, millions watched Ebert walk into the Chicago Theatre every week, thumb ready for his latest review.
"He had a great generosity of spirit. He was generous in size, generous in style, and he had a generous heart," said Thea Flaum, the producer who first paired Ebert and Gene Siskel. "He was kind and thoughtful, he was always eager to look at the work of young new filmmakers and support what they were doing."
Siskel and Ebert's show became the highest-rated show in public television, and as they say in the movies, a star was born. Ebert quickly became a household name and many were rooting for him as he battled cancer.
Photo Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS