Harold Ramis was the kind of under-the-radar celebrity that had such an amazing career as a writer, actor and director, and was able to work with so many other wonderful actors along the way, that you know there are endless stories out there about him, and it would be impossible to not want to hear them all. Of course, when you think about a guy like Ramis in the aftermath of his unfortunate and far-too-soon passing, Bill Murray is among the first names that come to mind, because of their working and personal relationships, and especially the incredible magic that they made together on screen in such memorable films.
We may have hoped that Murray would have opened up and delivered a glowing tribute to his friend and comedic partner in crime, but that just wouldn’t have been his style. Instead, Murray offered this statement to TIME magazine on the passing of the legendary Harold Ramis.
“Harold Ramis and I together did the National Lampoon Show off Broadway, Meatballs, Stripes, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day. He earned his keep on this planet. God bless him.”
Well said.
UPDATE: As pointed out, Murray and Ramis actually stopped talking to each other after they worked on Groundhog Day together, so the simplicity of this statement may be much more indicative of the rift in their friendship that was never truly explained. Ramis originally blamed Murray and his failed marriage for the trouble, and said that it boiled down to pride after that. Murray visited Ramis while he was ill, though, so we can hope that what needed to be said was said.