Bill Murray’s eldest brother Ed has died aged 76.
Ed’s death was confirmed in a statement shared to the official Instagram account for William Murray Golf – a company Hollywood actor Bill, 70, had set up with his brothers and pals.
The post paid tribute to Ed with a series of pictures of him on the golf course and stated ‘his loss is a hole that will never be filled’, while remembering keen golfer Ed – who was the inspiration for the lead character in Bill’s iconic film Caddyshack, released in 1980.
It read: ‘It’s with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of the legend Ed Murray. Named after the family patriarch, it was Ed who introduced the Murray family to this wonderful game of golf- by way of caddying at Indian Hills Country Club – at the age of 10, no less. (They don’t make ‘em like that anymore.)
‘Ed was the recipient of the Evans Scholarship back in 1963, while attending Northwestern University—a scholarship awarded to golf caddies—a family storyline which served as inspiration for the Danny Noonan character in ‘Caddyshack’ when Brian Doyle-Murray co-wrote that iconic screenplay.’
The post continued: ‘Ed and all five Murray brothers are members of the Caddie Hall of Fame, as well—something all the boys take pride in, as this game helped shape their lives. It was an honour for all of us to get to know Ed and to spend time with him over the past half decade as we’ve built this brand with the Murray family—and his loss is a hole that will never be filled.
‘Thank you for always being so gracious, Ed. Our hearts are with his lovely family. Rest in paradise, to a true family man and a gentle, sweet soul. May we honour your memory from this day forward. #MurrayBrothers #WilliamMurray #MurrayMoments #EdMurray #BillMurray.’
No further details are yet known regarding Ed’s death.
He is one of the six Murray brothers, made up of Groundhog day star Bill, actors Brian Doyle, 75, John, 62, Joel, 57, and chef Andy, 64.
Ed had starred as an extra in movie Caddyshack, that was written by his brother Brian Doyle, who also starred as Lou Loomis alongside Bill’s character Carl Spackler.
Previously speaking about his role as an extra, Ed had joked: ‘They invited me out there for one week when I was working for Dean Witter in Santa Maria to come out and watch the show, and they made me an extra so I got $37 to be an extra.’
He said: ‘I was usually in the background somewhere behind the scenes or on the driving range. But Harold Ramis, the director, said, “we have to give you a close-up,” and there is this one scene where this lady gets hit by the club and is lying on the deck and they have me come up right behind her holding a beer in my hand.’
The movie, directed by Ramis, also starred Chevy Chase, Ted Knight and Rodney Dangerfield.
Ed, otherwise, steered clear of the entertainment industry and instead worked as a broadcasting rep, before becoming a stockbroker.
Responding to a tweet that called Ed ‘one of the greatest’ as news of his death broke on social media, his brother Joel tweeted: ‘Ed was the nice Murray who remembered everyone’s name.’
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