Bill Murray ended his 21-year estrangement from his longtime pal and collaborator Harold Ramis shortly before he died by visiting the ailing actor/director in his native Chicago, Illinois.

The Ghostbusters co-stars fell out following a dispute on the set of 1993's Groundhog Day and Ramis revealed in a 2009 interview that the old friends had "no social relationship whatsoever".

However, editors at the National Enquirer claim Murray's brother, actor and screenwriter Brian Doyle-Murray, helped the pair reconcile as Ramis' health deteriorated due to a rare blood disease.

A source says, "Bill's brother, Brian Doyle-Murray, played peacemaker. Brian had made seven films with Harold and considered himself a good friend.

"He told Bill he needed to put aside his differences and see his pal one last time before he was gone.

"Bill and Harold talked about Chicago and the Cubs (the city's baseball team) - they'd both been lifelong fans. After that, Harold was finally at peace... and so was Bill."

Ramis passed away on Monday (24Feb14), at the age of 69, and Murray saluted the late star in a statement which reads, "Harold Ramis and I together did the National Lampoon Show off Broadway, Meatballs, Stripes, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day. He earned his keep on this planet. God bless him."