Academy Award nominee and producer and director of huge films such as Ghostbusters, Animal House, and the 1979 Bill Murray cult classic Meatballs, Ivan Reitman passed away peacefully in his sleep at age 75 at his home in Montecito, California, his family said in a statement Sunday night obtained by the Associated Press which stated,
“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” children Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said in the statement. “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.”
The news was also confirmed in a tweet from the official Ghostbusters Twitter account, written by Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group,
“Tonight, the lady with the torch weeps, as do all of us at Columbia, and film lovers around the world. Ivan Reitman was an inseparable part of this studio’s legacy, but more than that he was a friend. A great talent and an even finer man; he will be dearly missed. We send his family all our condolences.”
Reitman was born October 27, 1946 in Czechoslovakia. His mother was a Halucaust survivor and his father was an underground resistance fighter. The family moved to Canada as refugees when he was 4 years old. He went on to attend McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, where he studied music and first began making short films.
Reitman developed his career in Toronto, Canada where he produced the stage production Spellbound in 1973, which evolved into Broadway production The Magic Show. After that he produced two films for director David Cronenberg, Shivers and Rabid, before he got his big break producing National Lampoon’s Animal House in 1978 and he directed Meatballs in 1979. From there, he directed and produced a number of comedies including Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters, Legal Eagles, Twins, Ghostbusters II), Kindergarten Cop, Dave, Junior, Six Days, Seven Nights, Evolution, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and No Strings Attached.
He served as executive producer on 1992’s family-friendly hit Beethoven, its sequel, Beethoven’s 2nd and the 1994 TV series featuring the beloved St. Bernard. He produced Space Jam in 1996, which saw NBA legend Michael Jordan teaming up with Bugs Bunny on the court, and the 2021 version starring LeBron James. Reitman helped produce 2009’s Oscar-nominated Up In The Air, which starred George Clooney and Anna Kendrick and was co-written and directed by Jason Reitman.
REELated: Ghostbusters’ directors save Snowman in iPhone 13 Pro holiday spot
Many of his fans and colleagues took to social media to share their memories and love for the legend.
Reitman most recently co-directed an iPhone 13 holiday spot with his son, Jason, for Apple. It was a REEL AD of the WEEK.
He is survived by his wife, Geneviève Robert, his two daughters and son, Jason, who is a film director best known for his films Juno, Thank You for Smoking, Up in the Air and Ghostbusters: Afterlife. His daughter Catherine is the creator, executive producer, writer and star of the CBC comedy series Workin’ Moms. His other daughter, Caroline, attended Santa Barbara City College.
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