The late filmmaker with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito

16 Feb – Following news of the sudden passing of Hollywood filmmaker Ivan Reitman, stars took to social media to express their sadness over the loss.

"Ghostbusters" star Ernie Hudson, who admitted to be deeply saddened by the news, expressed, "Truly a great man and filmmaker who I had honour and privilege of knowing and working with."

His co-star Dan Aykroyd wrote, "Feeling heartbreak today for Geneviève, Catherine, Caroline, Jason and family. The loss of my friend, collaborator, champion and one of the last great creative talents of the BIG SCREEN ERA crumples me. Now on Thursdays who am I gonna call?"

Ernie Hudson alongside Ivan Reitman at Wizard World

Kevin Smith shares a collage of his favourite Ivan Reitman movies

Director Kevin Smith, on the other hand, shared several posters of Reitman's old movies on Twitter and posted, "Meatballs, Stripes, & Ghostbusters = This trilogy truly shaped my career. Randal, Brodie, & Banky are the children of Tripper, Winger, & Venkman. So thank you, IVAN REITMAN; your movies made me make my movies. Your work is a part of my creative DNA. I'm lucky you ever existed."

Other filmmakers who expressed similar sentiment include Ron Howard, Jon Hurwitz, Judd Apatow, Paul Feig, and Reitman's own son Jason Reitman, the latter who wrote, "I've lost my hero. All I want is the chance to tell my father one more story. He came from a family of survivors and turned his legacy into laughter. Thank you for the kind messages. Enjoy his movies and remember his storytelling gifts. Nothing would make him happier."

Jason Reitman shares a childhood photo of him and his dad

On the other hand, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had worked with Reitman in several movies including "Twins", released a long statement on Instagram that read, "Ivan Reitman is a legend. In Hollywood, he was bigger than life. He was comedy royalty.

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.

I am devastated, and my thoughts are with the Reitman family.

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. 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.

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.

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."

Arnold with Ivan Reitman

Reitman, known for iconic comedy films like "Ghostbusters", "Stripes", "Junior" and "Twins", passed away in his sleep on 12 February at his home in Montecito, California. He was 75.