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
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”
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
Twitter Responses:
Harold Ramis was a brilliant, shining example for every comedy writer hoping to achieve excellence the field. He will be sorely missed.
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) February 24, 2014
Sad to hear my friend Harold Ramis
passed away. A brilliant, funny, actor and
director. A wonderful husband and dad.
Big loss to us all. bc
— Billy Crystal (@BillyCrystal) February 24, 2014
#ripHaroldRamis A great talent and a kind man. We lost a good one. Today is a sad day. My thoughts are with his family.
— Sarah Michelle (@RealSMG) February 24, 2014
So sad about Harold Ramis. Comedy legend. And a lovely man. #GriswaldsForever #Ghostbusters #GroundhogDay
— Rashida Jones (@iamrashidajones) February 24, 2014
Egon was my favorite Ghostbuster. Feels like we lost one of the Beatles.
— Jason Reitman (@JasonReitman) February 24, 2014
No Harold Ramis, no comedy as we know it today. #RIPHaroldRamis
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 24, 2014
No no not Harold Ramis. Worked for him years ago. He was the real deal. Growing up, his work changed my life. He will be missed.
— Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) February 24, 2014
Very sad to hear that we lost Harold Ramis. Exceptionally talented, exceptionally kind.
— Julianne Moore (@_juliannemoore) February 24, 2014
So sad to hear about Harold Ramis. Comedy lost a big one
— Albert Brooks (@AlbertBrooks) February 24, 2014
Was honored to have gotten to work with Harold Ramis, the Buddha of Comedy. Brilliant, humble, radiant. We've lost an icon. #GroundhogDay
— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) February 24, 2014
Stunned and saddened to hear of the death of Harold Ramis. A comedy hero…
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) February 24, 2014
If you're my age and got into comedy, Harold Ramis was one of the reasons. Life is fast and over too soon.
— Zach Braff (@zachbraff) February 24, 2014
Devastated about Harold Ramis…Groundhog Day is my favorite movie of all time. He made people happy and influenced so many, including me.
— Kat Dennings (@OfficialKat) February 24, 2014
Sad to hear brilliant comedian, writer & director Harold Ramis has passed. A giant talent & extremely nice man. RIP. pic.twitter.com/b1RFFKGW9G
— Pee-wee Herman (@peeweeherman) February 24, 2014
Harold Ramis. Funny, gracious, kind hearted. A joy to have known you.
— Steve Carell (@SteveCarell) February 24, 2014
Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my brilliant, gifted, funny friend, co-writer/performer and teacher Harold Ramis.
— Dan Aykroyd (@dan_aykroyd) February 24, 2014
