The movie world is mourning a comedy directing giant.

News broke Sunday night that Canadian director and producer Ivan Reitman, best known for directing the comedy classic “Ghostbusters”, died in his sleep on Feb. 12 at age 75.

READ MORE: Jason Reitman Remembers Late Father Ivan Reitman: ‘I’ve Lost My Hero’

His family confirmed the sad news to the Associated Press, sharing that he died at his home in Montecito, Calif.

“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. “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.”

In a statement, Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO, Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group said, “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. We send his family all our condolences.”

On Twitter, fans and celebrities mourned Reitman.

Along with directing “Ghostbusters”, Reitman was known to movie fans for helming the films “Meatballs” and “Stripes”, also starring Bill Murray, as well as “Twins”, “Kindergarten Cop”, “Dave”, “Evolution” and more.

As a prolific producer, Reitman was also behind comedies like “National Lampoon’s Animal House” and “Old School”, as well as the early David Cronenberg horror films “Shivers” and “Rabid”.

READ MORE: Jason And Ivan Reitman Reveal Never-Before-Seen Footage From Original ‘Ghostbusters’

Reitman’s son Jason has become a notable director in his own right, helming award-winning films like “Juno” and “Up in the Air”, as well as the recent “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”.

His daughter Catherine is an actress best known to Canadian TV fans for her role as Kate Foster in “Workin’ Moms”, which she also created.

Reitman was born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Toronto and attended McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., where he made his first short films. During that time he also encountered future comedy icons like Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin and Rick Moranis.

He became longtime friends with Dan Aykroyd after working together on a comedy show he made for a local TV station.

Along with his children, Reitman is survived by his wife Genevieve.

Click to View Gallery
Stars We’ve Lost In 2022