2/24/14

Aykroyd, Murray, Friends, Fans and President Obama Remember Harold Ramis



The Internet has been bursting with thankful words for Harold Ramis, who passed away today at age 69. 

In a brief statement, Aykroyd called Ramis his "brilliant, gifted, funny, friend, co-writer/performer and teacher." He ended the statement with his hope that Ramis might "now get the answers he was always seeking."

According to the Chicago Tribune, "Ramis was quiet about his illness, but friends did visit, including brothers and Second City castmates Bill Murray, from whom he'd been estranged for years, and Brian Doyle-Murray, who appeared in seven Ramis movies."

"He was like the campfire that we all gathered around for light and warmth and knowledge," his adult daughter Violet Stiel said.

UPDATE:Bill Murray has issued this statement to TIME through his lawyer in the wake of Ramis’ death on Monday morning: “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.”

Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman has also issued a statement: “The world has lost a wonderful, truly original, comedy voice with the passing of Harold Ramis. He possessed the most agile mind I’ve ever witnessed. He always had the clearest sense of what was funny and how to create something in a new clever way. He was very generous about making everyone around him look better and smarter. Harold had an extraordinary impact on my career and I loved him like a brother. My heart goes out to his children, and his lovely wife, Erica. He will be profoundly missed.”

President Obama weighed in on the loss of Ramis, adding "When we watched his movies ... we didn't just laugh until it hurt, we questioned authority. We identified with the outsider. We rooted for the underdog. And through it all, we never lost our faith in happy endings. Our thoughts and prayers are with Harold's wife, Erica, his children and grandchildren, and all those who loved him, who quote his work with abandon, and who hope that he received total consciousness."

Twitter has been filled with posts from friends and fans alike, honoring the legendary actor-director's life. We'll keep posting tweets here through the day.


Post by Dan Aykroyd.
































at

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 24, 2014 at 3:25 PM

    Not since the passing of Christopher Reeve ten years ago have I been this deeply shocked and upset at the passing of somebody who happens to be an important childhood icon to me. This has really placed a dark cloud over what should be a happy year celebrating the anniversaries of these two fantastic films Mr Ramis gave us through his genius imagination and comic talent. I can't imagine how devastated the rest of the guys from Murray to Ackroyd must feel. What we see on film is not just merely great acting, it was truly real friendship and that makes this awful news all the more heartwrenching. Jason Reitman summed it up perfectly for me with his description of it feeling we have lost a member of a group as significant as The Beatles.

    It should not be a subject to discuss at this time but this really does close the lid on the saga of Ghostbusters III. I'm sure it's the last thing Mr Ackroyd would want to consider now and rightfully so in my view. How can you possibly have Ghostbusters without Egon??? We've never considered the possibility on here that one of the guy's would actually leave us in real life. To make a new movie now is sadly just unthinkable and I believe could even be slightly disrespectful without Ramis.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The DestructorFebruary 24, 2014 at 4:43 PM

      Who knows, it was the last, or one of the last projects Ramis wrote for. Maybe he wrote himself out, maybe he wanted to see his final script made. Just a month ago Aykroyd was praising the script, one must think he was aware of Ramis' condition. http://ghostbustersiii.blogspot.com/2014/01/murray-stops-by-reddit-aykroyd-does.html

      All judgement reserved until we know more.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousFebruary 24, 2014 at 7:31 PM

      I don't mean to be the heartless fan here, Egon was always my favorite, and I loved Harold's style, but perhaps Bill Murray would be interested in signing on for GB3 in homage to his late costar and friend's passing.....

      Delete
  2. UnknownMarch 20, 2014 at 4:40 PM

    Dana Barron said of Harold Ramis that he was "a pure wonderful, big hearted, loveable genius. always kind. A pleasure to work with as a director... an actors dream." Read more of the interview at www.retroladyland.co.uk

    ReplyDelete