Screenwriter, Actor and Director Harold Ramis Dies at 69

Posted on February 24, 2014

Brilliant screenwriter, actor and director Harold Ramis has died at the age of 69. He died at his home in Chicago, surrounded by family. Ramis suffered from an autoimmune disease called vasculitis, which affects the blood vessels. He was a genius at writing comedy. He wrote or co-wrote four of the American Film Institute's 100 Funniest Movies, including Ghostbusters (1984), Groundhog Day (1993), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) and Caddyshack (1980). He also wrote Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), Back to School (1986), Analyze This (1999) and Analyze That (2002).

Ramis was a member of the Second City troupe in Chicago, and also wrote for SCTV before he began writing for the movies. He directed and acted in numerous films, and hopes have been high for a new Ghostbusters movie. He directed a number of episodes of The Office starring Steve Carell.

Steve Carell tweeted, "Harold Ramis. Funny, gracious, kind hearted. A joy to have known you." Ramis' frequent collaborator Bill Murray issued this statement to Time: "Harold Ramis and I together did the National Lampoon Show off Broadway, Meatballs, Stripes, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day. He earned his keep on this planet. God bless him." The AP reports on his death: