Ramis and longtime collaborator Bill Murray had a falling out during the filming of '' Groundhog Day '' , which Ramis attributed to issues that Murray had with his own life at the time . They did not speak for more than 20 years . Shortly before Ramis 's death , Murray , encouraged by his brother Brian Doyle-Murray , visited him to make amends with a box of donuts and a police escort , according to Ramis 's daughter Violet . At that point , Ramis had lost most of his ability to speak , so Murray did most of the talking over several hours . Murray gave tribute to Ramis at the 86th Academy Awards
86th Academy Awards
86th Academy Awards
Harold Ramis