Dan Aykroyd Addresses the Death of ‘Ghostbusters’ Director Ivan Reitman – Home

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Ghostbusters star Dan Aykroyd was among the many Hollywood stars who paid tribute to filmmaker Ivan Reitman, who died on Saturday night. Reitman directed Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson in the first two Ghostbusters movies. He also directed several other comedy classics, including Stripes, Twins, and Kindergarten Cop.

“I am heartbroken today for Geneviève, Catherine, Caroline, Jason and the family,” Aykroyd tweeted Monday afternoon. “The loss of my friend, collaborator, champion and one of the last great creative talents of the BIG SCREEN ERA breaks me. Now, on Thursdays, who am I going to call?

Feeling heartbreak today for Geneviève, Catherine, Caroline, Jason and family. The loss of my friend, collaborator, champion and one of the last great creative talents of the BIG SCREEN ERA breaks me down. Now on Thursdays who am I going to call?

— Dan Aykroyd (@dan_aykroyd) February 14, 2022

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of Ivan’ Reitman. Truly a great man and filmmaker whom I had the honor and privilege of knowing and working with. My deepest condolences to Jason and the entire family. What a RIP,” Hudson wrote on his own account. statement.

Reitman’s children, Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman, announced the filmmaker’s death Sunday night. He died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Montecito, California, his family told the Associated Press. He is also survived by his wife of over 45 years, Genevieve Robert.

“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father and grandfather who taught us to always look for the magic in life,” Reitman’s family said Sunday. “We are comforted that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless people around the world. As we mourn in private, we hope that those who knew him through his films will always remember him.”

Reitman got his start in show business in Canada, where his parents emigrated from Czechoslovakia when he was four years old. After producing two of David Cronenberg’s first films, Reitman achieved his breakthrough as producer of National Lampoon’s Animal House in 1978. In 1979, he directed Murray’s first major film, Meatballs, which was soon followed by Stripes in 1981. Others Reitman’s directing credits include Legal Eagles, Twins, Dave, Junior, Evolution, No Strings Attached and Draft Day.

One of Reitman’s final projects was Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which hit theaters last fall. The film was directed by Jason, who has also become an acclaimed filmmaker. Aykroyd, Hudson and Murray appeared in the film, while the late Ramis appeared thanks to CGI animation. Reitman was also an executive producer on Space Jam: A New Legacy, as he was a co-producer on the original Space Jam. Reitman’s only Oscar nomination came in 2010 as producer of Jason’s Up in the Air. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997.

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