Ghostbusters’ Harold Ramis Passes Away at Age 69

haroldRamis
 

It seems as though there has been a lot of loss in Hollywood lately and it’s unfortunate that we’ve lost another great talent following so many talents thus far. Harold Ramis finally lost the battle with an autoimmune disease he had been suffering from for years. He was fortunate to be surrounded by his friends and family at the time of his death in his birthplace of Chicago, Illinois.

 

Ramis as Egon in Ghostbusters
Ramis as Egon in Ghostbusters

While many may recognize Ramis from his more notable acting role as Egon in Ghostbusters, he has brought Hollywood so much more behind the camera. He’s been behind some of the most influential comedic films that have ever been produced. His writing credits include Animal House, Meatballs, Ghostbusters, and Stripes. He also had written and directed Caddyshack which is consistently rated as one of the funniest sports comedies of all time. He was also responsible for directing National Lampoon’s Vacation which launched Chevy Chase’s career and wrote the screenplay and directed Groundhog Day which is a conversation piece to this day and extremely well received by critics.

Director Harold Ramis "Groundhog Day"
Director Harold Ramis
“Groundhog Day”

 

Many of those that had befriended and worked with Harold Ramis had many kind words to say about him. The overall consensus seemed to be that Ramis was an extremely nice person and a joy to work with. He left this world with the gift of laughter, bringing smiles to millions for years. Given the responses from the social media universe and direct quotes from those affected by Ramis’ passing, I think you can get an idea of how great of a person he was. Below are a few of the many responses to his death. May you rest in piece Mr. Ramis, you were and will continue to be true asset to cinema.

 

“Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my brilliant, gifted, funny friend, co-writer, performer and teacher Harold Ramis.” “May he now get the answers he was always seeking.”
 
– Dan Aykroyd

 

“Harold was a force of good in the universe. So funny, sweet and thoughtful. He will be deeply missed.”
 
– Jack Black

 

“…the kindest of any director with whom I have worked. And, he was a genius. Aside from his amazing talent, he could do the New York Times crossword puzzle faster than anyone I have ever known or met.”
 
– Andie MacDowell

 

“Harold Ramis and I together did ‘The National Lampoon’ show off-Broadway, ‘Meatballs,’ ‘Stripes,’ ‘Caddyshack,’ ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Groundhog Day.’” “He earned his keep on this planet. God bless him.”
 
– Bill Murray

 

“Harold directed me in ‘Caddyshack’ and the first ‘Vacation.’” “It was Harold who acted out and gave me the inspiration for the character of Clark Griswold. I was really copying Harold’s impression of Clark. He was a truly funny and highly intelligent man with great honesty and a great appreciation for the best kind of comedy.”
 
– Chevy Chase

 

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About Ryan

First and foremost, Ryan Brown is a fan. He has been an avid fan of both the theater and cinema since an early age and his passion for both has been continually growing ever since. When dissecting a film, he focuses on all elements of film-making including some fan/cult factors. He believes that character development is the foundation of a good film and usually starts his analysis of a film from there moving forward. His writing style may be influenced by his background of narrative and argumentative studies in the subject, but he tends to enjoy a more conversational style to better interact with the readers, unlike some other pretentious and pompous writers.

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