Ghostbusters stars pay tribute to Harold Ramis

Bill Murray has lead the tributes to former Ghostbuster star Harold Ramis, who died yesterday (February 24) aged 69.

In a statement to TIME magazine, Murray said: “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 also praised the “truly original” actor.

”The world has lost a wonderful, truly original, comedy voice with the passing of Harold Ramis,” said Reitman.

“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… Harold had an extraordinary impact on my career and I loved him like a brother.”

Following the news of Ramis’s passing, Dan Aykroyd – who played Dr Ray and wrote Ghostbusters with Ramis – took to Twitter, saying: “Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my brilliant, gifted, funny friend, co-writer/performer and teacher Harold Ramis. May he now get the answers he was always seeking.”

Meanwhile, one Ghostbusters fan placed a tribute to Ramis outside the Hook & Ladder 8 building, which doubled for the firehouse in the 1984 comedy.

Ramis’s character Egon Spengler famously used the Twinkie snack cake to demonstrate an increase in psychokinetic energy in New York.

Ramis is survived by his wife Erica Mann and sons Julian and Daniel, and two grandchildren.

A private service is set to take place this week, while a public memorial will probably take place in Chicago in May.