Former “Ghostbusters” star Harold Ramis died Feb. 24 at the age of 69. Ramis was many things — actor, writer, director and producer — but for many of us he will be remembered for one thing and one thing only, being Dr. Egon Spengler in “Ghostbusters.”

However, Ramis has done so much more than act in the franchise we all know and love. Ramis wrote and directed “Caddyshack” (1980), “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983), “Groundhog Day” (1993) and “Analyze This” (1999), among others. Ramis was also one of the original head writers of the TV show “SCTV,” on which he also performed from 1976 until 1979.

Ramis’ films have become favorites of many other filmmakers, including Adam Sandler. Ramis’s films are perhaps best known for their humor, with films like “Caddyshack” and “Groundhog Day” still being wildly funny more than 20 years later.

Aside from his solo work, Ramis frequently collaborated with fellow director Ivan Reitman. Ramis wrote and appeared in the Reitman-directed “Ghostbusters” (1984), as well as appearing in “Stripes” (1981), which was written and directed by Reitman.

In his personal life, Ramis was an avid Chicago Cubs fan, often conducting the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field.

He had been married twice, first to artist Anne Plotkin in 1967. They had a daughter, Violet. The two separated in 1984 and in 1989 Ramis married Erica Mann, daughter of director Daniel Mann. Ramis and Mann had two sons, Daniel Hayes Ramis and Julian Arthur Ramis.

In May 2010, Ramis contracted an infection that resulted in vasculitis, destroying or inflaming blood vessels in his legs. Because of this, Ramis lost the ability to walk. After relearning to do so, Ramis unfortunately suffered a relapse of the disease in 2011.

He died of complications of the disease at his home on Chicago’s North Shore on Feb 24, 2014.

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