Original Ghostbusters cast now from affairs and rare diseases to wife's tragic death

Cult classic Ghostbusters is loved by film fans around the world and there's a chance to watch the '80s smash hit again today.

From the catchy theme tune to a great acting line-up including Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, the sci fi-comedy saw three parapsychologists and a retired Marine take on New York's spookiest residents to hilarious effect. The 1984 film was so popular it spawned sequel Ghostbusters II in 1989, with several original stars reprising their roles. A fifth reboot of the franchise, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, was released in March this year.

With the original movie now 40 years old, its young stars are in their 70s, with one sadly no longer with us. From a Golden Globe winner to a household name stepping back from acting for a tragic reason, we take a look at their very different fates...

Bill Murray

Bill Murray accepted the part of unofficial leader Peter Venkman in the first Ghostbusters film because he needed the money for his own project, The Razor's Edge. That ended up being a flop but Bill then went on to star in a whole host of films including Lost In Translation, Groundhog Day, Larger Than Life, and The Man Who Knew Too Little.

Bill, 74, has won a Golden Globe award, two Emmys and a BAFTA in the course of his glittering acting career but offscreen, his relationships have been more rocky. He was first married Margaret Kelly with sons Homer and Luke but they divorced in 1996 when he had an affair with Jennifer Butler. Bill and Jennifer wed and had four sons, Caleb, Jackson, Cooper, and Lincoln, before divorcing 2008.

Sigourney Weaver

Before taking on the role in Ghostbusters as Dana Barrett, Sigourney had made a name for herself in Alien and The Year of Living Dangerously. The actress went on to star in Gorillas in the Mist and Working Girl, winning a Golden Globes for each.

In 1990 Sigourney, 75, took a break from acting to have her daughter before returning with the third instalment of the Alien franchise. She went on to win a BAFTA for her role in The Ice Storm and Jenny Carver.

The star has been married to director Jim Simpson since 1984 and the couple share a daughter Charlotte. Since appearing in Gorillas in the Mist she has supported the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and is currently the charity's honorary chairwoman.

Dan Ackroyd

Dan, 72, was the brains behind the concept for Ghostbusters and starred in the film Ray Stantz. When it was a huge success, the Canadian actor went on to star in Spies Like Us, Dragnet and Driving Miss Daisy.

Dan won an Emmy in 1977 for his work on Saturday Night Live and was nominated for an Oscar in 1990. In 2009 he wrote the Ghostbusters video game and he is an executive producer on Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

The star was once engaged to Star Wars legend Carrie Fisher but went onto marry Donna Dixon, with three children together. They separated in 2022.

Annie Potts

Annie was already on her way to being a Hollywood star when she landed the role of Janine Melnitz in Ghostbusters. She made her debut on the big screen in 1978 in Corvette Summer, with Mark Hamill and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role in the film. After Ghostbusters she went on to star in Pretty in Pink and voiced Bo Peep in Toy Story.

The actress, 72, has been married four times and has five grown-up sons. She has three sons with her third husband Scott Senechal and two with her fourth and current husband James Hayman. During her long career she's been nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

William Atherton

William played Environmental Protection Agency inspector Walter Peck, who was hated so much it led to him being harassed in the street. Prior to appearing in Ghostbusters the actor had starred in Steven Spielberg's debut film The Sugarland Express and he went on to play Richard Thornberg in Die Hard. The star has since appeared in TV series including Desperate Housewives, Law & Order and Murder, She Wrote.

The actor gained success on the New York stage immediately after graduating and worked with leading playwrights including Arthur Miller, winning numerous awards for his work on and off Broadway. Although William has been married to Bobbi Goldin since December 1980 he claimed he was once a homosexual but changed due to the teachings of philosopher Eli Siegel.

William, 77, returned for the fifth Ghostbusters film as Walter Peck, the cynical EPA inspector who tried to shut down the Ghostbusters in the original movie.

Harold Ramis

Harold Ramis starred as Egon Spengler and co-wrote the screenplay for Ghostbusters with Dan Ackroyd. Before the success of Ghostbusters he'd spent a few years dabbling in TV and was a regular contributor on Saturday Night Live. After the film was released he opted to stay behind the camera and directed Groundhog Day, starring his co-star Bill Murray.

In 2010, Harold contracted an infection and lost the ability to walk. He re-learned but in 2011 he sadly suffered a relapse of the rare disease caused by the infection, painful autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis.

Harold died in 2014, aged 69, leaving behind two sons and a daughter from two marriages.

Ernie Hudson

Ernie played Winston Zeddemore before going on to star in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, HBO series Oz, and Sandra Bullock's FBI boss in Miss Congeniality. He reprised his role as Winston in Ghostbusters: Afterlife .

Ernie, 79, married his first wife Jeannie Moore in 1963, when the pair were just teenagers and they had sons Ernie Jr and Rahaman. The couple divorced in 1976 and in 1985 Ernie remarried former flight attendant Linda Kingsberg, with sons Andrew and Ross together.

Rick Moranis

Another cast member with an incredible talent, Rick went onto become a household name, leading roles in Little Shop of Horrors, Spaceballs and The Flintstones. He stepped back from his career after his wife of five years, Anne Belsky, died from cancer in 1991 aged just 34.

Rick, 71, took time out to raise their two children and didn't appear in another film until 23 years later when he signed up for a sequel to Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. He declined an invitation to make a cameo appearance in 2016's Ghostbusters.

Watch Ghostbusters at 4.50pm on BBC One