Hollywood has lost one of its legendary filmmakers.
Ivan Reitman, who directed Ghostbusters and its sequel in the 1980s, died peacefully in his sleep on the night of Saturday, Feb. 12 at his home in Montecito, Calif., his family told the Associated Press. He was 75 years old. A cause of death was not revealed.
"Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life," Reitman's children Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said in a joint statement to the AP. "We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always."
After news of Reitman's death broke, several stars took to social media to pay tribute. "I am deeply saddened by the loss of Ivan' Reitman," Ernie Hudson, who played Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters movies, tweeted. "Truly a great man and filmmaker who I had honor and privilege of knowing and working with. Deepest condolences to Jason and the entire family. May he RIP #jasonReitman."
Added Paul Feig, who directed the 2016 Ghostbusters movie, "I'm in absolute shock. I had the honor of working so closely with Ivan and it was always such a learning experience. He directed some of my favorite comedies of all time. All of us in comedy owe him so very much. Thank you for everything, Ivan. Truly."
Judd Apatow also tweeted, "Opening night of Ghostbusters at UA Plainview was like a rock concert. The place exploded with joy. It was one of the most memorable moments of my childhood. Ivan Reitman influenced everything we all love about film comedy. A true legend."
Reitman was born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Canada. As he once recalled to the Montecito Journal, he moved to Montecito Calif. with his wife Geneviève Robert in 1979 following the success of the 1978 film National Lampoon's Animal House, which was produced by Reitman and starred John Belushi.
Over the next few years, Reitman went on to direct Bill Murray in the 1979 movie Meatballs and the 1981 movie Stripes. He then directed Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II in 1984 and 1989, respectively—which, in addition to Murray and Hudson, starred Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts and David Margulies. The movie was nominated for two Oscars, including Best Original Song for its theme music and Best Visual Effects.
"I've had the good fortune of finding fresh comedic voices or actors that went on to greater fame, or became famous as a result of movies I was involved with them in," Reitman stated in a 2006 piece for Canadian Business. "People like John Belushi and Bill Murray were in their first movies with me."
The franchise led to the 2016 film Ghostbusters and 2021 movie Ghostbusters: Afterlife, with Reitman producing both and his son Jason directing the latter.
Reitman's other directing credits include Kindergarten Cop, Junior, Six Days and Seven Nights and No Strings Attached, and his producing credits include the Beethoven movies, Space Jam, Old School and more.