MONTECITO, CA (CelebrityAccess) – Filmmaker and producer Ivan Reitman has passed away at the age of 75. The Ghostbusters director died peacefully in his sleep said his family to the Associated Press.
Reitman was attached to some of the most well-known films from the 80s and 90s, including 1984’s Ghostbusters, which he produced and directed. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree as his son, Jason Reitman directed last year’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife with Paul Rudd. Prior to that, father and son teamed up for 2009’s Oscar nominated “Up in the Air” with George Clooney and Anna Kendrick.
Reitman is attached to classics such as “Stripes” with Bill Murray, “Animal House” with John Belushi, “Dave” with Kevin Kline and “Twins”, “Kindergarten Cop” and “Junior”, all starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was an executive producer for the family film, Beethoven and Beethoven’s 2nd. He also produced Space Jam with Michael Jordan back in 1996 and the LeBron James re-make in 2021.
His family released a statement to the Associated Press (AP), “Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life. We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.” – Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said in the joint statement.
Reitman and his family escaped communist Komarmo, Czechoslovakia in 1946, when he was just 4 years old. His family ended up in Toronto where he attended McMaster University and began making film shorts. Once locating to California, he married Genevieve Robert, his wife of over 40 years and the mother of his three children.
Reitman co-owned the Montecito Picture Company with Tom Pollock, the former chairman of Universal Pictures, who died in 2020.
