Murray: Ramis 'Earned His Keep On This Planet'
Bill Murray offered a touching tribute to Harold Ramis following the actor and director's death on Monday.
Ramis died at age 69 on Feb. 24 after complications stemming from autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, according to CNN. His death leaves many in mourning, including Murray, who collaborated with the writer on several classic comedy films, including "Ghostbusters" and "Groundhog Day," among others.
"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," Murray said in a statement. "God bless him."
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Murray is not the only Hollywood actor mourning Ramis. Fellow "Ghostbusters" star Dan Aykroyd also shared a tribute to the "Animal House" writer.
"Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my brilliant, gifted, funny friend, co-writer/performer and teacher Harold Ramis," he wrote on Facebook. "May he now get the answers he was always seeking."
"The Office" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" star Steve Carrell also paid homage to the comedy legend via Twitter on Monday, writing, "Harold Ramis. Funny, gracious, kind hearted. A joy to have known you."
Judd Apatow, who cited Ramis as inspiration for his own career that now includes films such as "Knocked Up" and "This is 40," also shared a tribute to the actor.
"Harold Ramis. Thank you. We love you," he wrote on Twitter. See more tributes here.
Ramis began suffering from health issues relating to autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis in 2010. The condition is a rare disease that causes inflammation of the blood vessels, including arteries, according to Medicinenet.com. It can damage the walls of various blood vessels, and treatment for the disease is ever-changing and depends on the specific organs affected.
The comedy legend helmed films that include "National Lampoon's Vacation," "Multiplicity," "Club Paradise" and "Analyze This." Additionally, Ramis wrote sequels to his films such as "Ghostbusters 2" and "Caddyshack 2," while he served as director for the sequel "Analyze That."
Onscreen, Ramis also appeared in "Knocked Up," "Year One," "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" and "As Good As It Gets," among others.
