Ghostbusters Director Ivan Reitman Dead at 75

Ivan Reitman, celebrated filmmaker behind Ghostbusters and Animal House, has died. In a statement his family provided to the Associated Press, it's said the director and producer passed away peacefully in his sleep Saturday night at his Montecito, California home. He was 75.

"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 children Jason, Catherine and Caroline said in a joint 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."

Born in the then-Czechoslovakia in 1946, Reitman and his family left the country during his youth and settled with relatives in Canada. There, the would-be filmmaker began showing an interest in entertainment—so much so, he graduated with music and drama degrees from Hamilton's McMaster University.

His feature film debut came with 1971's Foxy Lady, a comedy that served as the film debut of both Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin. Fast forward a few years and Reitman helmed the irreverent Meatballs, often thought by many to be responsible for launching the careers of both Reitman and comedian Bill Murray.

Meatballs would also serve as the first of many collaborations between him and Murray. In total, the two worked on four projects together—Meatballs, Stripes, and the first two Ghostbusters.

Reitman largely retired from directing in 2014 after helming the Kevin Costner-starring Draft Day. After that, he focused mainly on producing projects including Baywatch, Father Figures, A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting, and Ghostbuster: Afterlife. While serving as a producer on Afterlife, Reitman's son Jason took over the director's chair.

"Every filmmaker is doing autobiographical work no matter what they are doing," Jason shared last year about his experience on the film. "I made this movie for my dad. I made this movie for my daughter. I think it mirrors the ways that we want to be connected to each other."