RIP Harold Ramis (1944-2014)

Our brief tribute to the star and writer of Ghostbusters, who passed away yesterday.
We are immensely saddened to report the passing of Harold Ramis. The American performer, director and writer died yesterday at the age of 69 after a resurgence of his autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, an illness with which he had struggled since the Summer of 2010.

With such a long and illustrious career behind him, perhaps the greatest challenge of reporting this tragic event is knowing quite where to start. Harold is undoubtedly best known by a generation of science-fiction fans for starring in the 1984 cult classic Ghostbusters, penning its screenplay alongside Dan Aykroyd and contributing to the various sequels and spin-offs which spawned in the years that followed its release. In all honesty, though, that franchise is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of this late great's filmography, his later appearances in productions such as Year One, Knocked Up, Second City Television and Orange County in a variety of capacities across a range of mediums speaking wonders as to his infinite talents and the terrible loss which the entertainment industry has suffered today with his death.

I can't confess to have seen Ghostbusters as of yet, but will provide my definitive thoughts on the film and in particular Ramis' performance in the weeks ahead here at On-Screen. For now, my thoughts go out to Harold's family and his close friends in this incredibly challenging period of grief and necessary cherishing of the time they spent in his company. As a final tribute to Harold, here's a trailer from the marketing campaign for the 1984 original that briefly showcases this lost legend's unparalleled actorial talents.