Harold Ramis Dead, 'Ghostbusters' Star and Comedy Legend Mourned
Harold Ramis, who was behind films such as "Ghostbusters" and "Caddyshack," died at age 69 on Monday, Feb. 24.
The actor was also a filmmaker, and he was behind classic films that also include "Animal House" and "Groundhog Day." According Ramis' family, the director died early Monday morning at his Chicago home after complications stemming from autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, reported TMZ. He was surrounded by family.
Autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis is a rare disease that causes inflammation of the blood vessels, including arteries, according to Medicinenet.com. The condition can damage the walls of various blood vessels, and treatment for the disease is ever-changing and depends on the specific organs affected. Ramis began suffering from health issues relating to the disease in 2010.
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Following news of the writer and director's death, Twitter was flooded with tributes from Ramis' fans, including Steve Carrell.
"Harold Ramis. Funny, gracious, kind hearted," the actor wrote. "A joy to have known you."
Another Twitter user Billy added, "RIP Harold Ramis. Even though I had to ask my mother to leave Ghostbusters because I was too scared when the chair attacked Sigourney Weaver."
"Very sad to hear of Harold Ramis passing," Kevin posted. "A very funny man and a great talent."
The comedy legend was also at the helm of "National Lampoon's Vacation," "Multiplicity," "Club Paradise" and "Analyze This." Additionally, Ramis wrote sequels to his films such as "Ghostbusters 2" and "Caddyshack 2," while he served as director for the sequel "Analyze That."
Onscreen, Ramis also appeared in "Knocked Up," "Year One," "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" and "As Good As It Gets," among others.
Judd Apatow has cited Ramis as inspiration for his own career that now includes films such as "Knocked Up" and "This is 40."
"When I was 15, I interviewed Harold for my high school radio station, and he was the person that I wanted to be when I was growing up," the director told the Chicago Tribune. "His work is the reason why so many of us get into comedy. We grew up on 'Second City TV' and 'Ghostbusters,' 'Vacation,' 'Animal House,' 'Stripes,' 'Meatballs;' he literally made every single one of our favorite movies."
