Acclaimed Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, the filmmaker behind many cult comedies of the last few decades, died in California on Saturday at the age of 75.

In a statement to the Associated Press this week, his children mourned the loss of a "husband, father and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life."

The filmmaker rose to prominence producing the 1978 university fraternity comedy, Animal House, and went on to work on Meatballs, Twins, and a host of Box Office hits.

His 1984 comedy, Ghostbusters, which he directed, starring Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver, earned a staggering $295.2 million (around £218m).

He also produced Beethoven, EuroTrip and the 2009 film Up In The Air starring George Clooney, directed by his son Jason Reitman.

Director Judd Apatow led tributes for the filmmaker who is survived by his wife, Genevieve, and their three children.

"Opening night of Ghostbusters at UA Plainview was like a rock concert. The place exploded with joy. 

“It was one of the most memorable moments of my childhood. Ivan Reitman influenced everything we all love about film comedy. A true legend,” he recalled.

The Office star Mindy Kaling said: "Ivan Reitman was old school in the best way, and kind. I loved working with him. It's sad he's gone, it makes me feel older and like my childhood movies are more faraway than ever."

Mr Reitman was born to Jewish parents in 1946 in what is now Slovakia. His mother, Klara, survived Auschwitz and his father, Leslie, was a resistance fighter. 

They fled communist Czechoslovakia when Mr Reitman was four, moving to Toronto.

“I remember flashes of scenes,” he told the Associated Press in 1979 about their dramatic escape. 

 “Later they told me about how they gave me a couple of sleeping pills so I wouldn’t make any noise. I was so knocked out that I slept with my eyes open. My parents were afraid I was dead.”

Interviewed by the Guardian in 2014, Mr Reitman spoke of his desire to entertain audiences.

“You know, I’m a refugee from communist Czechoslovakia, my parents escaped the Nazis. The desire to entertain and to make people feel better as a result of spending a few hours with me has always been an important goal, and my movies with Bill – they make you feel happy! 

"There’s a kind of joy in watching Singin’ in the Rain that is rarer and rarer in your experience as an audience. But that was always my benchmark,” he said.