Dan Aykroyd Speaks out on 'Ghostbusters' Director Ivan Reitman's Death

By Daniel S. Levine

Ghostbusters star Dan Aykroyd was among the many Hollywood stars to pay tribute to filmmaker Ivan Reitman, who died 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.

"Feeling heartbreak today for Geneviève, Catherine, Caroline, Jason and 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 crumples me. Now on Thursdays who am I gonna call?"

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of Ivan' Reitman. Truly a great man and filmmaker who I had honor and privilege of knowing and working with. Deepest condolences to Jason and the entire family. May he RIP," Hudson wrote in his own statement.

Reitman's children, Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman, and Caroline Reitman, announced the filmmaker's death late Sunday. He died peacefully in his sleep at his Montecito, California home, 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 seek the magic in life," Reitman's family said Sunday. "We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always."

Reitman got his start in showbusiness in Canada, where his parents emigrated to from Czechoslovakia when he was four years old. After producing two of David Cronenberg's early films, Reitman scored his breakthrough as the producer of National Lampoon's Animal House in 1978. In 1979, he directed Murray's first big movie, Meatballs, which was soon followed by Stripes in 1981. Reitman's other 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 movie was directed by Jason, who has gone on to become an acclaimed filmmaker as well. Aykroyd, Hudson, and Murray all made appearances in the movie, while the late Ramis appeared thanks to CGI animation. Reitman was also an executive producer on Space Jam: A New Legacy, since he was a co-producer on the original Space Jam. Reitman's only Oscar nomination came in 2010 as a producer on Jason's Up in the Air. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997.

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