Dan Aykroyd has described the devastating moment he told his wife, Judy Belushi Pisano, of John Belushi's death.
Aykroyd spoke fondly about his longtime friendship with Belushi during a recent episode of the new show. Audible Original“The Blues Brothers: An Arc of Gratitude,” explaining how it all came to a tragic end on March 5, 1982.
“After a night of drinking brandy, smoking cigarettes and taking cocaine, John died in Bungalow 3 at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles from a self-injected injection of a mixture of cocaine and heroin known as a speedball,” Aykroyd said. “My first impulse was, [John’s wife Judy] Let's run as fast as we can all the way down Fifth Avenue to their townhouse on Morton Street.”
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 26: Dan Aykroyd was photographed in Los Angeles, California on April 26, 2018. (Photo by SMXRF/Star Max/GC Images)
Aykroyd and Belushi had the same agent, Bernie Brillstein, who informed Belushi of his loss, the actor recalled. Aykroyd was in New York writing the screenplay for “Ghostbusters” when the call came.
The famous actor jumped into action and rushed to see Judy, recalling the moment he realized he had to break the dire news to her.
Comedian and musician John Belushi (1949-1982) promotes the release of the film The Blues Brothers on a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, summer 1980. (Photo by Steve Kagan/Getty Images)
“I got to Judy's house, I popped in, and she was standing in front of the refrigerator and she still had no idea,” Aykroyd said on the podcast.
Judy told her story from her perspective, recalling the moment she received the devastating news.
“We have push-button locks on our house and I heard someone press the button,” Judy said. “I thought, 'Oh no, it's too early for John to be back. He'll call me.' Then Danny came in and the way he was standing I could tell something was wrong.”
MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 22: General view of the cemetery where actor John Belushi (1949-1982) is believed to be buried, Chilmark Cemetery, Martha's Vineyard, Chilmark, Massachusetts, June 22, 2015. Belushi died at age 33 in Hollywood, California, from a heroin and cocaine drug overdose. (Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images)
“He started to say something but he couldn't say it,” Judy continued on the podcast, “and he said, 'I don't know what to say.' So I grabbed him and I said, 'Are you hurt?' And he said, 'No, he's dead.'”
Aykroyd expressed his feelings about that moment in a later interview. peopleIt was released on July 25th.
“I'll never forget having to tell Judy that John had passed away. It's a trauma that will stay with me for the rest of my life,” he told the outlet. (RELATED: Chevy Chase claims John Belushi stole cocaine from him while filming Saturday Night Live)
“I miss him. I don't just miss him. I really miss him. Losing him set me back a full year, but then it just made me want to move forward and do more work and keep going,” he said in an interview.
Aykroyd recalled on the podcast that Belushi was 29 years old at the time of his death. Belushi was 33 when he died.
