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Ivan Reitman, the producer and director behind several of the biggest comedy films of all-time, has died at the age of 75.
Reitman's children confirmed their father died peacefully in his sleep at his Montecito, Calif., home on Saturday (February 12) night in a statement shared with the Associated Press.
“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” said Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said in a joint statement to the AP. “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's first major success came while producing the classic comedy ''National Lampoon's Animal House' in 1978, before later directing Bill Murray in the films 'Meatballs' 1979, 'Stripes' in 1981 and 'Ghostbusters' in 1984, regarded as Reitman's most significant success.
The film -- which also starred Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis and the late Harold Ramis -- grossed nearly $300 million globally, earned two Academy Award nominations and led to several spinoffs both in film and television, including the most recent 'Ghostbusters Afterlife,' which was directed by Jason Reitman in 2021.