The great and talented Harold Ramis lost his battle with autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, passing away at the age of 69. Friend and co-star Bill Murray led the tribute to his legacy.
Speaking to Time Magazine, fellow Second City alumni Bill Murray paid tribute to his Ghostbusters co-star, saying, “Harold Ramis and I together did the National Lampoon Show together off Broadway, Meatballs, Stripes, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day. He earned his keep on this planet. God bless him.”
Also offering kind words and condolences was Dan Aykroyd, who both co-wrote and appeared in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2. He tweeted via Twitter, “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.”
Ramis’ writing credits include such classics as Animal House, Caddyshack, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Stripes, Groundhog Day and Analyze This. Billy Crystal, who starred in Analyze This, lamented through Twitter, writing, “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.”
Murray worked with Ramis on a half-dozen projects over the course of their lives.
Both from Chicago, Harold Ramis passed away from complications of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis — which swells the blood vessels — and was surrounded by family just before 1:00 a.m.
Ramis’ health began going downhill in 2010 when complications arose from an infection. The condition was so severe he had to learn how to walk all over again, a family spokesperson recently told the Chicago Tribune.
Props: TIME