The film community from Hollywood to Canada and beyond is paying respect to a “true legend,” the late Toronto-raised filmmaker Ivan Reitman, who influenced generations of movie-goers with the time-honoured Ghostbusters franchise and comedies including Animal House, Meatballs and Kindergarten Cop.

Social media is flooded with tributes to the producer and director, who died peacefully in his sleep Saturday night at his home in Montecito, Calif., according to the Associated Press. He was 75.

“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” children Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said in a joint statement issued Sunday (Feb. 13). “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 posted more thoughts on Twitter on Monday (Feb. 14). “I’ve lost my hero. All I want is the chance to tell my father one more story,” he wrote. “He came from a family of survivors and turned his legacy into laughter. Thank you for the kind messages. Enjoy his movies and remember his storytelling gifts. Nothing would make him happier.”

Reitman was co-owner of the Montecito Picture Company and patriarch of a Hollywood dynasty, with Jason Reitman a major filmmaker in his own right, Catherine Reitman the creator and star of CBC’s hit comedy Workin’ Moms, and Caroline Reitman an actor. He carved out a comedy niche on both sides of the border, with other producing credits including Twins, Space Jam and Private Parts.

“Opening night of Ghostbusters at UA Plainview was like a rock concert. The place exploded with joy. It was one of the most memorable moments of my childhood,” comedy filmmaker Judd Apatow wrote on Twitter. “Ivan Reitman influenced everything we all love about film comedy. A true legend.”

A child refugee born to Holocaust survivors from what was then Czechoslovakia, Reitman moved to Canada with his family in 1950 when he was four. It was during his studies at Hamilton’s McMaster University that he started directing several short films before moving on to making features through Montreal’s Cinépix Film Properties.

During a recent interview for his induction into Playback‘s Hall of Fame, Reitman said his interest in movies was sparked at age five when he saw a matinée of The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) with his aunt and cousin at the Alhambra Theatre in Toronto.

“I couldn’t believe the experience and was swept up by the energy of it,” he told Playback. “Growing up I would go to matinées almost every Saturday. I’d mostly look at horror movies and I had a scrapbook and all that kind of stuff.”

Reitman collaborated with fellow Toronto filmmaker David Cronenberg early in his career, producing his stage musical Spellbound, which included a team of composer Howard Shore and musician Paul Shaffer, and then producing his 1975 sci-fi body horror film Shivers. A fan of National Lampoon magazine, he produced the stage show National Lampoon’s Lemmings off-Broadway in 1973, with a cast including John Belushi, Christopher Guest and Chevy Chase. That led to him producing the pioneering 1978 frat comedy feature National Lampoon’s Animal House.

Reitman went on to direct a slew of other comedies, including Meatballs, Stripes, the first two Ghostbusters films, Kindergarten Cop and Dave. His other producing credits include two films directed by Jason Reitman: the Oscar-nominated drama Up in the Air and the Alberta-shot Ghostbusters: Afterlife, released last November. He also produced a 2016 female-led Ghostbusters reboot.

“Ivan Reitman’s movies cultivated our taste for anarchic comedy, the sweetest of friendships, and a beautiful way of looking at the world that made everything seem possible,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), in a statement. “We’re shocked at his passing, but take comfort in the joy and laughter that he brought to so many all over the world.”

Reitman’s personal story in coming to Canada represents the best of the country, Bailey added.

“His grit, his commitment and his sense of humour all came from the same place — a deep appreciation for the gift of life. Those qualities that catapulted him to global success as a filmmaker also made him terrific company,” he said, noting the Reitman family contributed the land on which the TIFF Bell Lightbox now stands.

Paul Feig, who directed the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, posted on Twitter that Reitman was a “generous man” who directed some of his favorite comedies of all time. “All of us in comedy owe him so very much,” he wrote.

Ghostbusters star Ernie Hudson tweeted: “I am deeply saddened by the loss of Ivan Reitman. Truly a great man and filmmaker who I had honour and privilege of knowing and working with.”

Other tributes include that of Mindy Kaling, one of the stars of Reitman’s 2011 film No Strings Attached, who tweeted: “Ivan Reitman was old school in the best way, and kind. I loved working with him. It’s sad he’s gone, it makes me feel older and like my childhood movies are more faraway than ever. RIP.”

Said Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, in a post on the official Ghostbusters Twitter account: “Tonight, the lady with the torch weeps, as do all of us at Columbia, and film lovers around the world. Ivan Reitman was an inseparable part of this studio’s legacy, but more than that he was a friend. A great talent and an even finer man; he will be dearly missed.”

Reitman is also survived by his wife, Geneviève, and his sisters Agi and Susan.

Photo credit:  Ivan Reitman attends the Ghostbusters: Afterlife world premiere on Nov. 15, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Sony Pictures)