 NEW YORK, Feb 25 — Comedy actor and director Harold Ramis, best known for films such as “Ghostbusters”, “Groundhog Day” and “Caddyshack”, died at his home in Chicago at the age of 69 of complications from a rare vascular disease, his agent said yesterday. Ramis, who had suffered from the rare illness since 2010, passed away peacefully yesterday morning, surrounded by family members. “I’m sad to say the news is true. He passed away from complications related to autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis,” said Chris Day, a spokesman for the United Talent Agency in Los Angeles. His family said in a statement: “His creativity, compassion, intelligence, humour and spirit will be missed by all who knew and loved him.” Friends, colleagues and co-stars of Ramis expressed their grief as news spread about his death. “Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my brilliant, gifted, funny friend, co-writer/performer and teacher Harold Ramis,” tweeted actor Dan Aykroyd, who co-starred with Ramis in the 1984 film “Ghostbusters”. Ramis played Dr Egon Spengler in “Ghostbusters”, the Ivan Reitman cult comedy, which also starred actor Bill Murray. “Harold Ramis and I together did ‘The National Lampoon Show’ off-Broadway, ‘Meatballs’, ‘Stripes’, ‘Caddyshack’, ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Groundhog Day’,” Murray said in a statement. “He earned his keep on this planet. God bless him.” Director and actor Jon Favreau said Ramis would be missed. “No, no, not Harold Ramis,” he tweeted. “He was the real deal. Growing up, his work changed my life.” Actor Billy Crystal, whom Ramis directed in the film “Analyse This”, described him as a brilliant and funny actor and director. “Big loss to us all,” he tweeted. Ramis, a celebrated director, writer, actor and producer, grew up in Chicago and graduated from Washington University in St Louis. He worked as an associate editor at Playboy Magazine before he got his start in comedy in 1969 with the city’s famous Second City improvisational theatre group. He returned to Chicago in 1996 after 20 years in Los Angeles, and got his big break when he co-wrote the comedy hit “National Lampoon’s Animal House” in 1978. Ramis, known for his dry wit, worked on other comedy scripts before making his directorial debut in 1980 with “Caddyshack”, followed three years later by “National Lampoon’s Vacation”. In 1993, he co-wrote, produced and directed “Groundhog Day”, about a weatherman, played by Bill Murray, who relives the same day over and over. Other films he co-wrote and directed include “Analyse This” in 1999, a comedy about a psychiatrist whose main patient is an insecure mobster, starring Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal. It was followed two years later by a sequel, “Analyse That”. Ramis received The American Comedy Award, the British Comedy Awards and a BAFTA award for screenwriting. He is survived by his wife, Erica Mann Ramis, his sons Julian and Daniel, a daughter Violet and two grandchildren. — Reuters
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