Ivan Reitman OC was a Czechoslovak-born Canadian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. He was best known for his comedy work, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company, founded in 1998.

Notable films he directed include Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II (1989), Twins (1988), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Dave (1993), and Junior (1994). Reitman also served as producer for such films as Animal House (1978), Beethoven (1992), Space Jam (1996), and Private Parts (1997).

He was born in Komárno, Czechoslovakia, in 1946 where his father owned the country’s biggest vinegar factory. His mother had survived Auschwitz and his father was in the resistance. When the communists began imprisoning capitalists after the war, the Reitmans decided to escape, when Ivan Reitman was only 4. They traveled in the nailed-down hold of a barge headed for Vienna.

Ivan Reitman Cause of Death

Reitman died peacefully in his sleep on Saturday night at his home in Montecito, California, his family told the Associated Press. No cause of death was given.

“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” his children Jason, Catherine, and Caroline Reitman said in a joint statement.

The influential filmmaker and producer behind beloved comedies including Ghostbusters, Animal House, and Twins, has died at the age of 75. Colleague filmmakers have taken to their various social media platforms to commiserate the movie legend