'Ghostbusters' director Ivan Reitman dies at 75

Ivan Reitman, the beloved director behind comedy classics like "Stripes," "Ghostbusters" and "Twins," died over the weekend. He was 75.

Reitman's son, Jason Reitman, shared the news Monday on social media, writing, "I've lost my hero. All I want is the chance to tell my father one more story."

"He came from a family of survivors and turned his legacy into laughter," Jason Reitman wrote. "Thank you for the kind messages. Enjoy his movies and remember his storytelling gifts. Nothing would make him happier."

Reitman was born in 1946 in what is now Slovakia to Jewish parents who survived the Nazi occupation. His family fled to Canada as refugees when he was 4 years old.

His feature directorial debut was in 1971 with "Foxy Lady," but his career really picked up when he produced the Harold Ramis-penned "Animal House," starring John Belushi, in 1978 and directed "Meatballs," starring Bill Murray, in 1979. He later reunited with Ramis and Murray -- as well as John Candy -- for 1981's "Stripes."

Reitman's most notable hit came in 1984 with "Ghostbusters," about a group of scientists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City, starring Ramis, Murray and Dan Aykroyd. The film also starred Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis and more. An equally supernatural sequel arrived in 1989.

The filmmaker also directed Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito in 1988's "Twins" and 1994's "Junior." He teamed up with the "Terminator" star for 1990's "Kindergarten Cop," too. The last film Reitman directed was 2014's "Draft Day," starring Kevin Costner.

Reitman produced hits including 1996's "Space Jam," his son Jason Reitman's Oscar-nominated "Up in the Air" from 2009, the 2016 "Ghostbusters" reboot from Paul Feig and 2021's "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," which was directed by Jason Reitman, and reunited the cast, minus a retired Moranis and Ramis, who died in 2014.

Speaking with ABC Audio during press a press conference for "Afterlife," Jason Reitman said of his dad "made just some of the most important movies of the last few decades." He added, "But my father will go down as a director and creator of 'Ghostbusters,' that's who he is."

Reitman is survived by his longtime wife, Geneviève, whom he married in 1976, as well as their three children: son Jason and daughters Catherine and Caroline.