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Arnold Schwarzenegger is mourning the death of his friend, Ivan Reitman. The Czechoslovak-born Canadian film and television director, producer and screenwriter died ‘unexpectedly’ in his California home Saturday night at age 75. The Ghostbusters director and actor worked together on Twins, Junior, and Kindergarten Cop. “Ivan Reitman is a legend. In Hollywood, he was bigger than life. He was comedy royalty,” Schwarzenegger wrote in the caption of his post on Instagram.
Reitman’s children said he died peacefully in his sleep, per DailyMail. “In life, he was a mensch - a wonderful father and husband, a fantastic friend, a great human being. He was kind, he was generous, he was smart as hell, and he was always there for you,” the actor wrote. “I am devastated, and my thoughts are with the Reitman family,” he continued. Read his full statement below.
© Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Schwarzenegger mourns the death of Ivan Reitman
Schwarzenegger shared how the director took a chance on him and helped his career in comedy. “If you knew him, Ivan had a way of making himself a part of your story, and he certainly wrote a chunk of mine. I’ll always be grateful that he took a chance on this Austrian action-hero in a comedy during a time when the studios just wanted me to focus on finding new ways to kill bad guys, blow things up, and show off some muscles,” he said. “I knew I could make it in comedy, but I needed someone else to know it to make it a reality. That’s why Ivan was a great director and friend: he could see something in you that other people didn’t, and he could help you show the rest of the world.”
© Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Schwarzenegger mourns the death of Ivan Reitman
Twins co-starred Danny DeVito as Schwarzenegger’s fraternal twin brother and, it’s reboot Triplets, starring Tracy Morgan as the third brother was about to start production “Making Twins, Junior, and Kindergarten Cop with Ivan was heaven for me. Spending the last few years working with him on Triplets, and once again seeing his passion and genius up close, was a joy. Just last week, I was talking about how excited I was to be on set again with Ivan this fall,” the Terminator star added.
© Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Schwarzenegger mourns the death of Ivan Reitman
The former California Governor continued the heartbreaking statement, “I can’t believe I won’t work with him again or hang out with him again or just schmooze about life again. But I also know that Ivan isn’t gone, he’s still with us. He’s here, in so many pages of my story. And if you were ever lucky enough to meet him, or just experienced his work, he’s part of your story, too. Thanks for everything, Ivan,” he concluded.
