See you on the other side, Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis)

It’s been over 24 hours since I first heard the sad news that Harold Ramis had passed away due to an illness, but that doesn’t make the bitter realization that another beloved piece of my childhood has died any easier to swallow. As I read all the celebrity Tweets and watched the tremendous outpouring of love and respect from Ramis fans all over the world on my Facebook feed, the sting of his death really hit home for me. A celebrity death hasn’t affected me so deeply since the passing of another ‘80s icon – director/writer John Hughes in 2009.

Here are but a few of the reasons why I am a fan in mourning for this great man. As a writer myself, I always respected his colossal comedic writing talent. Ramis touched upon writing, directing or acting in many of my childhood favorites – Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Animal House, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Meatballs, Stripes … the list could go on and on. (Note: I never could fully get into Caddyshack, although maybe I’ll give it a second chance now that I’m a little older.) It’s rare enough to find a person who is truly a master of one craft (writing, acting, etc.), but to find a man who was a genius in so many creative pursuits is nothing short of amazing. Harold Ramis was a national treasure whose work will go on inspiring others long after his demise.

As a geek who proudly marches to the beat of my own drummer, I respected the fact that he wasn’t the clichéd handsome movie star Hollywood keeps churning out. Whether he was portraying Russell Ziskey in Stripes, the neurologist in Groundhog Day, or my personal favorite, Dr. Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters, there was a certain realism and intelligent wit to whatever role he had written for himself. As Egon, he was the bespectacled nerd of my dreams (although I’d be the first to admit I had equal crushes on Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd … sorry, Ernie Hudson but you were a little late to the party).

Third, I love the fact that Ramis made Chicago his home, refusing to live permanently in sunny L.A. or the hustle and bustle of New York City like so many other celebrities do. He was quoted as saying, “Chicago still remains a Mecca of the Midwest – people from both coasts are kind of amazed how good life is in Chicago, and what a good culture we’ve got. You can have a pretty wonderful artistic life and never leave Chicago.” As a fellow Midwesterner, that makes me swell with pride for America’s Heartland. We do have culture, America, we do!

Fourth, I’m still discovering new reasons to hero-worship Ramis. Until this week, I hadn’t realized he directed Multiplicity and I also didn’t realize he had penned the song “Weatherman” heard in the opening credits of Groundhog Day. I would also love to go back and watch his SCTV antics from his earlier days.

You must allow me a few moments to “geek out” over the beauty of Ramis’ brainchild Groundhog Day. I was a precocious 11-year-old when Groundhog Day came out and I remember seeing it in the theater with my aunt. I was instantly mesmerized with the story, the characters and the concept of being forced to repeat the same day over and over until you got it right and learned something about the true meaning of life. Although it’s been over 20 years, Groundhog Day is still one of the few movies I can watch over and over, quoting the movie practically line for line. Ramis had a gift for making Bill Murray shine, didn’t he? Although Murray is outstanding in just about everything I’ve ever seen him appear in, it’s the roles he did while collaborating with Ramis that really make me smile. Maybe creative geniuses feed off other creative geniuses.

Although I never got the chance to cross streams with Ramis in this life, I am left with a profound sadness knowing the world has lost such a remarkable man. I am further saddened by the knowledge that any hopes I had for a third installment of the Ghostbusters franchise have likely died with him. Even if they still made one, it just wouldn’t be the same without Egon or the introspective behind-the-scenes man who helped mold the scripts into the iconic juggernaut they became.

I am – and forever will be – a product of the 1980s. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the brilliant minds such as Harold Ramis who made the ’80s what I nostalgically remember as some of the best years of my young life. Without them, my childhood — and that of countless others like me — would not have been the same. There is a void in my heart that not even the Staypuft Marshmallow Man could fill. See you on the other side, Dr. Spengler.