Bill Murray has led the influx of celebrity tributes to the actor and director Harold Ramis, who died aged 69 on Monday. Murray most memorably starred alongside Ramis in the 1984 supernatural comedy Ghostbusters in which they played a team of contract ghost hunters.

Bill Murray
Bill Murray Has Added His Voice To The Tributes For Harold Ramis.

Ramis had been suffering for some time with an infection that resulted in complications from autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, though his death has still shaken the Hollywood community and has saddened the talented filmmaker's fans across the globe.

"Harold Ramis and I together did the National Lampoon Show together off Broadway, Meatballs, Stripes, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day," Murray said in a statement obtained by Time magazine. "He earned his keep on this planet. God bless him."

Harold Ramis
The Respected Filmmaker Harold Ramis Died On Monday After A Long Illness.

Murray and Ramis' co-star Dan Ackroyd, who both co-wrote and appeared in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 has also publicised his anguish: "Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my brilliant, gifted, funny friend, co-writer/performer and teacher Harold Ramis. May he now get the answers he was always seeking."

Since Ramis' death, the has been a flood of tributes from those in the industry who knew, loved and respected the comic. "Harrold Ramis was a brilliant, shining example for every comedy writer hoping to achieve excellence in the field. He will be sorely missed," tweeted Family Guy's Seth Macfarlane whilst stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt referenced the legendary 'big twinkie' scene from Ghostbusters: "If a Twinkie represents amount of grief I feel when someone dies, Harold Ramis' death would be a Twinkie 35 feet long weighing 600 pounds."

Bill Murray Berlin International Film Festival
'Ghostbusters' Stars Murray, Rick Moranis & Dan Ackroyd Have Paid Their Respects To Their Late Co-Star.

Elizabeth Hurley, who starred in the Ramis-directed comedy Bedazzled, also shared her grief with her Twitter followers, writing "Very, very sad to hear that Harold Ramis has died. He was a lovely man and I loved working with him. RIP." Ghostbusters star Rick Moranis simply wrote "Today is a sad day. RIP Harold."

Ramis is survived by his wife, Erica Mann Ramis, three children and two grandchildren.