Ghostbuster Harold Ramis, an influential comedian who wrote and directed classic films like 'Caddy Shack' and 'Groundhog Day', has died at the age of 69.
Ramis, a longtime resident of Chicago, was surrounded by his family when he died of a rare disease that involves swelling of the blood vessels, his wife Erica Mann Ramis told the Chicago Tribune on Monday.
His style balanced cleverness with outright silliness and absurd stunts.
Ramis has been cited as an inspiration by a new generation of comedians and directors like Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow.
His rise to fame began when he joined Chicago's Second City improv group in 1969, where he worked with comedy legends John Belushi, Gilda Radner, as well as with Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, whom he later starred with in 'Ghostbusters'.
After a stint on the National Lampoon Show in New York, Ramis headed up to Toronto where he was head writer and a regular performer on Canada's wacky hit television show SCTV.
He began a long-time Hollywood collaboration with director and producer Ivan Reitman when he helped write the script for Animal House, the 1978 film that propelled Belushi - and college toga parties - to fame.
Ramis made his directorial debut two years later with the cult classic 'Caddyshack', a comic caper in which Rodney Dangerfield and a destructive, dancing gopher wreak havoc on an exclusive golf course.
While he became recognisable through acting jobs like the studious scientist Dr Egon Spengler in 'Ghostbusters', Ramis did not achieve the stardom of his comedic collaborators.
Instead, he helped Murray, Chevy Chase, Billy Crystal, Michael Keaton and even Robert De Niro showcase their comedic talents in films he wrote and directed like 'Stripes', 'Groundhog Day', 'Multiplicity', 'National Lampoon's Vacation', and 'Analyze This'.
Ramis had a minor role in the 2007 hit 'Knocked Up', starring Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl. His final film, which he both wrote and directed, was Year One a ridiculous romp through Biblical times starring Jack Black and Michael Cera that was released in 2009.
