Writer and director Harold Ramis, best known for co-writing and playing Egon Spengler in
Ghostbusters, has passed away the age of 69. The Chicago native had been suffering from autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, and succumbed to the rare disease early this morning, surrounded by family. Ramis had been one of the most successful comedy filmmakers of the 1980s and '90s with instant classics such as
Caddyshack,
Stripes,
Ghostbusters,
National Lampoon's Vacation, and
Groundhog Day, the latter two films he directed. He had still been active recently, directing
Year One back in 2009, but slowed down in 2010 when his health problems began.
I practically grew up on the movies of Harold Ramis and still them amongst my favorites. It's clear that his work had a profound influence on many of the comedy directors working today. We here at Punch Drunk Critics send our condolences to his family and friends.
