Staring the week of with some sad news, as legendary filmmaker Ivan Reitman has passed away in his sleep aged 75, his family has announced through the Associated Press.
“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” reads a statement from Ivan’s children, Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman, and Caroline Reitman. “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.”
Born in Czechoslovakia before moving to Canada at the age of 4, Reitman began his career in film and television in Toronto. His early credits included producing David Cronenberg’s Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977), as well as his big break, 1978’s National Lampoon’s Animal House.
After stepping into the director’s chair on 1979’s Meatballs, Reitman would go on to direct and produce a host of hit comedies, including Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Twins (1988), Ghostbutsers II (1989), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Dave (1994), Junior (1994), Six Days, Seven Nights (1998) and Evolution (2001), as well as producing films such as Heavy Metal (1981), Beethoven (1992), Space Jam (1996), Private Parts (1997), Road Trip (2000) and Old School (2003).
Reitman’s last directorial offering came in 2014 with Draft Day, while his later producing credits include 2009’s Best Picture-nominated Up in the Air (which along with last year’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, was directed by his son Jason), 2016’s Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, 2017’s Baywatch and Father Figures, 2020’s A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting and 2021’s Space Jam: A New Legacy.
