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President Barack Obama is among those mourning the death of Harold Ramis, the writer-director-actor who died Monday at age 69 after a long battle with autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, a condition he battled for the past four years.
It turns out the commander in chief is a fan of Ramis’ memorable movies, including Animal House, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day. He even quotes Caddyshack in sharing that he and wife Michelle Obama‘s thoughts are with other Ramis fans.
STORY: Hollywood Mourns Harold Ramis
“Michelle and I were saddened to hear of the passing of Harold Ramis, one of America’s greatest satirists, and like so many other comedic geniuses, a proud product of Chicago’s Second City,” Obama said of the Chicago native in a statement released Tuesday. “When we watched his movies — from Animal House and Caddyshack to Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day — we didn’t just laugh until it hurt. We questioned authority. We identified with the outsider. We rooted for the underdog. And through it all, we never lost our faith in happy endings. Our thoughts and prayers are with Harold’s wife, Erica, his children and grandchildren, and all those who loved him, who quote his work with abandon and who hope that he received total consciousness.”
Although the president doesn’t always comment on the deaths of Hollywood stars, Obama has mourned a few noteworthy performers recently, releasing statements about the deaths of Pete Seeger, Roger Ebert, Donna Summer, Andy Griffith and Ray Bradbury.
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