The Passing of Ivan Reitman Causes Old Stars to Honor His Memory

Legendary Comedy Director Ivan Reitman’s Death Stirs Up Emotions

The recent passing of legendary film director Ivan Reitman has caused stars to come out and speak on their memories of the acclaimed filmmaker.

Ivan Reitman died calmly during his sleep this past weekend at the age of 75 and his passing has caused heartbreak among many members of the Hollywood community. So many filmmakers, performers and other artists have been saddened over the loss of movie director and icon, Reitman. Many stars went on social media to express their feelings for their beloved colleague.

You know Reitman’s work if you were a movie-goer in the 1980’s and 1990’s and possibly even if you didn’t go to the movies back then because his career has spanned several decades. Perhaps, you saw some of his more recent work such as the Kevin Costner sports drama, Draft Day. In fact, Reitman was even set to soon team up with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny De Vito for a sequel to their 1988 film, Twins. That follow-up movie was going to be Triplets.

Reitman’s biggest claim to fame was that he directed 1984’s box-office smash hit Ghostbusters. One of the stars of that classic film, Dan Aykroyd, reached out to the community about his loss. Aykroyd expressed his condolences to Reitman’s family. He wondered what he would do about his loss, and stated “…who am I gonna call?” Aykroyd is one of the greatest comic actors of all-time and working with a genius like Reitman suited him extremely well. Another Ghostbuster alumni, Ernie Hudson confessed that he was “deeply saddened” and called the filmmaker “…a great man.”

One of Reitman’s stars in his dramatic film Draft Day, Jennifer Garner, expressed her emotions as well. She stated that she “loved” him and explained how his directorial style affected her and pointed out that they talked together a lot on set.

Filmmakers Ron Howard and Kevin Smith also expressed their admiration of the director’s work and Smith said that some of Reitman’s film “truly shaped” his career. Howard called Reitman a “remarkable filmmaker.” Knocked Up director Judd Apatow expressed his belief that “…Reitman influenced everything we love about film comedy.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger also worked with Reitman on the movies Kindergarten Cop and Junior and had been excited at the prospect of working with him again on Triplets.

While there’s too many stars who spoke out on Reitman to quote here in this brief space, his legacy lives on through the films that he has made and the work of his son, Jason Reitman, who is also a director. Jason recently helmed the successful Ghostbusters sequel, Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Reitman was a truly talented comic genius whose films have been left behind for generations of moviegoers to discover. His work will never be forgotten in the world of comedy where his influence is still active today. May he rest in peace. He was also the owner of The Montecito Picture Company which was launched back in 1998. He was a great filmmaker who will be dearly missed.

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