Actors, directors and film critics have gathered in Chicago to honor the late movie critic Roger Ebert.

Roger Ebert (Frazer Harrison, Getty Images)
Roger Ebert (Frazer Harrison, Getty Images)
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The movie reviewer's widow, Chaz Ebert, welcomed her husband's fans to the Chicago Theatre on Thursday, and remembered him as a father, friend, humanitarian and journalist.

A choir began the memorial by singing "Roger Ebert, we will always love you."

Actors John Cusack and Chris Tucker were to speak at the event, called "Roger Ebert: A Celebration of Life," along with Ebert's friends and family.

The acclaimed critic died April 4 at age 70 after a years-long battle with cancer. The day before his death, Ebert wrote in a post on his blog that he was taking a break from his schedule of almost-daily movie reviewing because the cancer had recurred.

 

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