Which ghostbuster died

He was always one of the boys, but he was the best boy. Apatow said he was captivated not just by the spirit of Ramis' movies but also his frequent collaborations with a collective of funny people. As zany as Ramis' early comedies were, they rigorously pursued a theme close to the heart of someone who grew out of the s counterculture: characters rebelling against institutions, be they authoritarian college administrators and pampered rich kids "Animal House" , a stuffy golf club "Caddyshack" or the military "Stripes".

After the collapse of his first marriage and the flop of his comedy "Club Paradise" with greedy developers as the institutional villain , the Jewish-raised Ramis immersed himself in Zen Buddhism. Ramis' later directorial efforts — starting with "Groundhog Day" and including "Stuart Saves His Family" , "Multiplicity" , "Analyze This" and his "Bedazzled" remake — reflect a spiritual striving, exploring individuals' struggles with themselves more than outside forces.

Comparing his later to earlier comedies, Ramis told the Tribune: "The content's different, but it comes from the same place in me, which is to try to point people at some reality or truth. Ramis used to carry around a sheet titled "The 5-Minute Buddhist," which sums up such tenets as "The self, the soul, the ego are mental projections, false beliefs …. Ramis had been living in Los Angeles since the late '70s before he returned to Chicago, basing his production company in downtown Highland Park.

He said in that he was happy to leave the "artificial pressure" of LA. Am I cool? Am I in? Who's the in crowd? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. More about Ghostbusters. Already subscribed? Log in. Ghostbusters 3 'in development'. Stars back for Ghostbusters game. This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Alistair Leithead reports as tributes have been paid to Harold Ramis. Image source, Rex Features.

Ramis wrote, produced and directed Groundhog Day, about an irascible TV weatherman forced to live the same 24 hours over and over. Ramis made a total of six films with Bill Murray, including military comedy Stripes.

Image source, Getty Images. Ramis received an American Comedy Award and a Bafta for screenwriting. He got his start in the late 's at Chicago's Second City theater troupe. His big break came when he penned "National Lampoon's Animal House" in His directorial debut came in with "Caddyshack.

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