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John Belushi

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John Belushi
Belushi in 1976
Born
John Adam Belushi

(1949-01-24)January 24, 1949
Chicago,Illinois,U.S.
DiedMarch 5, 1982(1982-03-05)(aged 33)
Los Angeles,California,U.S.
EducationCollege of DuPage
University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actor
  • musician
Years active1972–1982
Known for
Spouse
​
(m.1976)​
Relatives
AwardsEmmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
Comedy career
Medium
  • Film
  • television
  • music
Genres

John Adam Belushi(/bəˈluːʃi/;January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was one of sevenSaturday Night Livecast membersof the first season.[1]Along withChevy Chasehe was arguably the most popular member of theSaturday Night Liveensemble. Belushi had a partnership withDan Aykroyd.They had first met while at Chicago'sThe Second Citycomedy club, remaining together as cast members on the inaugural season of the television showSaturday Night Live.[2]

Born in Chicago toAlbanian-Americanparents, Belushi started his own comedy troupe withTino Insanaand Steve Beshekas, called "The West Compass Trio".Bernard Sahlinsrecruited him for The Second City comedy club. Once there he met Dan Aykroyd,Brian Doyle-Murray,andHarold Ramis.In 1975, Chevy Chase andMichael O'Donoghuerecommended Belushi toSaturday Night Livecreator and showrunnerLorne Michaels,who accepted him as a new cast member of the show after an audition. Belushi developed a series of characters on the show that reached great success, with an imitation ofHenry Kissingerand a portrayal ofLudwig van Beethoven.Belushi appeared in several films such asNational Lampoon's Animal House,1941,The Blues Brothers,andNeighbors.He also pursued interests in music: with Aykroyd,Lou Marini,Tom Malone,Steve Cropper,Donald "Duck" Dunn,andPaul Shaffer,he foundedThe Blues Brothers,which led to the film of the same name.

Belushi was dismissed fromSaturday Night Liveseveral times and rehired more than once. In 1982, he died at the age of 33.Cathy Smithconfessed to dosing him with a mixture ofheroinandcocaineat theChateau Marmont.[3][4]Smith was charged with second degree murder, was convicted and sentenced to 15 months in prison.[4]Belushi was honored with aposthumous awardof the star on theHollywood Walk of Famein 2004.

Early life[edit]

Belushi as a senior at Wheaton Central High School (1967)

John Adam Belushi was born to Agnes Demetri (néeSamaras) Belushi[5][6]and Adam Anastos Belushi[7][8]inHumboldt Park, Chicago.Agnes was a pharmacy worker,[5]who was born inOhioto Albanian immigrants fromKorçë, Albania.[9]Adam Anastos Belushi was an Albanian immigrant fromQytezë, Albania,the owner of the Fair Oaks restaurant onNorth Avenuein Chicago.[10][9][11]

Belushi was raised in Wheaton along with his three siblings – younger brothers Billy andJim,and sister Marian.[12][13]He wasEastern Orthodox Christian,attending theAlbanian Orthodox Church.He was educated atWheaton Central High School,where he met his future wife, Judith Jacklin (1951–2024).[14][15]

In 1965, Belushi formed a band, the Ravens, together with four fellow high-school students (Dick Blasucci, Michael Blasucci, Tony Pavilonis, and Phil Special). They recorded one single, "Listen to Me Now/Jolly Green Giant".Belushi played drums and sang vocals. The record was not successful, and the band broke up when he enrolled at theCollege of DuPage.He also attended theUniversity of Wisconsin–Whitewaterfor a year, which inspired theAnimal Housescene of D-Day driving a motorcycle up the stairs.[16]Belushi acquired the iconic "College" crewneck, worn by his character inAnimal House,at a print shop when visiting his brother Jim, who attendedSouthern Illinois University.[17]

Career[edit]

The Second City and National Lampoon[edit]

Belushi started his own comedy troupe in Chicago, the West Compass Trio (named after the improvisational cabaret revueCompass Playersactive from 1955 to 1958 in Chicago), withTino Insanaand Steve Beshekas. Their success piqued the interest of Bernard Sahlins, the founder of The Second City and asked Belushi to join the cast.[2]At Second City, Belushi met and began working withHarold Ramis,Joe Flaherty,andBrian Doyle-Murray.[2]

In 1972, Belushi was offered a role, together with Chevy Chase andChristopher Guest,inNational Lampoon Lemmings,[1]a parody ofWoodstock,which playedoff-Broadwayin 1972. Belushi and Jacklin moved to New York City. There, Belushi started working as a writer, director, and actor forThe National Lampoon Radio Hour,a comedy radio show that was created, produced, and written by staff fromNational Lampoonmagazine.[18]Cast members on the shows produced by Belushi included Ramis, Flaherty, Guest, Brian Doyle Murray, his brotherBill Murray,Gilda Radner,andRichard Belzer.In 1974, Belushi and Chevy Chase voice acted on a Lampoon LP record, theOfficial National Lampoon Stereo Test and Demonstration Record.During a trip toTorontoin 1974, Belushi met Dan Aykroyd.[1]Jacklin became an associate producer for the show, and she and Belushi were married on December 31, 1976.The National Lampoon Showtoured the country in 1974;[citation needed]it was produced by Ivan Reitman.LampoonownerMatty Simmonswas offered a TV show on NBC at this time, but declined the offer.[19]

Saturday Night Live[edit]

In 1975, Chase and writerMichael O'Donoghuerecommended Belushi toLorne Michaelsas a potential member for a television show Michaels was about to produce forNBCcalledNBC's Saturday Night,laterSaturday Night Live.Michaels was initially undecided, as he was not sure if Belushi's physical humor would fit with what he was envisioning, but he changed his mind after giving Belushi an audition.[1]He appeared alongside O'Donoghue inSaturday Night Live's first sketch (subsequently titled "the Wolverines" ) which aired on October 11, 1975.[20]

Over his four-year tenure atSaturday Night LiveBelushi developed a series of successful characters, including the belligerentSaturday Night LiveSamurai;Henry Kissinger; Ludwig van Beethoven; the Greek owner (Pete Dionisopoulos) of theOlympia Café;CaptainJames T. Kirk;and a contributor of furious opinion pieces onWeekend Update,during which he coined a catchphrase, "But N-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O!"[1]With Aykroyd, Belushi created Jake and Elwood,the Blues Brothers.Originally intended to warm up the studio audience before broadcasts ofSaturday Night Live,the Blues Brothers were eventually featured as musical guests.[21]Belushi also reprised his Lemmings imitation ofJoe Cocker.Cocker himself joined Belushi in 1976 to sing "Feelin' Alright?"together.

Like many otherSaturday Night Livecast members and writers, Belushi had health issues. He attended concerts includingFleetwood Mac,Meat Loaf,Kiss,The Dead Boys,Warren Zevon,The Grateful Dead,andThe Allman Brothers.In 1990 Michaels remembered him as a loyal trouper, to writers, a team player, yet he was fired and rehired atSaturday Night Live.[22]

InRolling Stone's February 2015 appraisal of all 141Saturday Night Livecast members, Belushi received their top ranking. "Belushi was the 'live' inSaturday Night Live",they wrote," the one who made the show happen on the edge…Nobody embodied the highs and lows ofSaturday Night Livelike Belushi. "[23]

Film career[edit]

In 1978, Belushi performed in the filmsOld Boyfriends(directed byJoan Tewkesbury),Goin' South(directed byJack Nicholson), andNational Lampoon's Animal House(directed byJohn Landis). Upon its initial release,Animal Housereceived generally mixed reviews from critics, butTimemagazineandRoger Ebertproclaimed it one of the year's best movies. Filmed at a cost of $2.8million, it is one of the most profitable movies of all time,[24]garnering an estimated gross of more than $141million in the form of theatrical rentals and home video, not including merchandising.Animal Housewas written byDoug Kenney,Harold Ramis,and Chris Miller, and followed in the tradition of theMarx Brothersfilms that featured subversive and satirical plots that took on traditional institutions.Hollywoodstudios tried to copy the film's success without the satire, resulting in a string of "nerds vs. jocks" films in the 1980s with cheap sight gags involving nudity and gross-out humor.[25]

Following the success of the Blues Brothers onSaturday Night Live,Belushi and Aykroyd, with the help of pianist-arrangerPaul Shaffer,assembled studio talent forming a proper band.Saturday Night Livesaxophonist"Blue"Lou Mariniand trombonist-saxophonistTom Malone,who had previously played inBlood, Sweat & Tearswere there. At Shaffer's suggestion, guitaristSteve CropperandbassistDonald "Duck" Dunn,the powerhouse combo fromBooker T and the M.G.'s,who played on dozens of hits fromMemphis'sStax Recordsduring the 1960s,[26]were signed as well.[27]In 1978 the Blues Brothers released their debut album,Briefcase Full of Blues,withAtlantic Records.The album reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 and wentdouble platinum.Two singles were released: "Rubber Biscuit", which reached number 37 on theBillboardHot 100, and "Soul Man", which reached number 14.

In 1979, Belushi along with Aykroyd leftSaturday Night Live.They filmedThe Blues Brothersmovie, which conflicted with the schedule ofSaturday Night Live.Michaels also decided to leave at the end of his contract. NBC's pressure to use recurring characters was also a factor in their decision. Belushi and Aykroyd made two movies together after leaving:Neighbors(directed byJohn Avildsen), and most notablyThe Blues Brothers(directed by John Landis). Released in the U.S. on June 20, 1980,The Blues Brothersreceived generally negative reviews.[28]It earned just under $5million in its opening weekend, and went on to gross $115.2million in theaters worldwide before its release on home video. The Blues Brothers band toured to promote the film, which led to a third album (and second live album),Made in America,recorded at theUniversal Amphitheatrein 1980. The track "Who's Making Love" peaked at number 39.

The only film Belushi made without Aykroyd following their departure fromSaturday Night Livewas the romantic comedyContinental Divide(directed byMichael Apted). Released in September 1981, it starred Belushi as Chicago hometown hero writer Ernie Souchack (loosely based on newspaper columnist and long-time family friendMike Royko), who gets an assignment researching a scientist (played byBlair Brown) who studies birds of prey in the remoteRocky Mountains.

By 1981, Belushi had become a fan and advocate of the punk rock bandFearafter seeing them perform in several after-hours New York City bars, and brought them toCherokee Studiosto record songs for the soundtrack ofNeighbors.Blues Brothers band member Tom Scott, along with producing partner and Cherokee owner Bruce Robb, initially helped with the session, but later pulled out due to conflicts with Belushi. The session was eventually produced by Cropper. The producers ofNeighborsrefused to use the song in the movie. Belushi, along with O'Donoghue andSaturday Night LivewriterNelson Lyon,booked Fear to playSaturday Night Live'sHalloweenbroadcast on October 31, 1981; the telecast of the performance featured then-novelmoshingandstage diving,and was cut short by NBC due to the band's profanity. TheNew York Postpublished an account of these and other sensationalistic details of the event the following day.[29]

Up to his death, Belushi was pursuing movie projects,[30]including anABSCAM-related caper calledMoon Over Miami,to be directed byLouis Malle;and a diamond-smuggling caper calledNoble RotwithJay Sandrich,based on a script he adapted and rewrote with formerSaturday Night LivewriterDon Novello.However,Paramount Studiosoffered to produceNoble Rotonly if Belushi starred inThe Joy of Sex,which would have featured him in a diaper. Aykroyd advised him to turn downThe Joy of Sexand return to the East Coast, where Aykroyd was writingGhostbusters.Belushi also talked about producing a film in aHigh Timestribute article from 1982: "Belushi wanted to give these daring captains courageous of consciousness the credit they deserved, he told me. He wanted to star in a major marijuana movie to be calledKingpin.He wanted to play the title role. "[31]

Belushi made a "guest-star appearance" on an episode of the television seriesPolice Squad!(1982). Each opening of the show featured a running gag that featured the guest star dying right away. Belushi died shortly before the episode was to air. The scene was cut and replaced by a segment withWilliam Conrad.[32]

Drug use and death[edit]

Belushi had health issues in the early to mid 1970s due to his drug use. Cocaine was frequently used by the cast and writers ofSaturday Night Live,but Belushi's use quickly got out of control and he was occasionally thrown off theSaturday Night Liveset. During the production ofThe Blues Brothers,directorJohn Landisconfronted Belushi in his trailer after finding a massive pile of cocaine. Belushi tearfully admitted his addiction during the confrontation. Belushi was also frequently late for his call times and would delay shooting by wandering off set. The production hired Smokey Wendel to prevent Belushi from accessing more drugs.[33]He managed to quit his habit during the production ofContinental Divide,but severelyrelapsedduring the production ofNeighbors.

A few months after the filming onNeighborsended, on the evening of February 28, 1982, he checked in to a bungalow at theChateau Marmontin Los Angeles.[34]For several days, he wandered from nightclub to nightclub on theSunset StripandSanta Monica Boulevard.[34]

On March 4, 1982, Belushi visited the Los Angeles office of his long-time managerBernie Brillsteinand asked him for money. Brillstein declined, suspecting that Belushi just wanted more drugs.[35]Later that day, Belushi returned and again asked for money while Brillstein was in a meeting. Brillstein was reluctant to rebuke Belushi in front of the other person and gave him the money. In the early morning hours of March 5, Belushi, while in his Chateau Marmont bungalow, was visited separately by friendsRobin WilliamsandRobert De Niro,as well as Cathy Smith.[36][37][34]

Around noon on March 5, 1982, Belushi's fitness trainer and occasional bodyguardBill Wallacearrived at Belushi's bungalow at the Chateau Marmont to deliver a typewriter and audio recorder Belushi had requested the previous day and found Belushi dead. No one else was present in the bungalow at the time of the discovery.[38]Neither law enforcement nor a representative of the coroner's office revealed the details for six days.

During apreliminary hearingheld in September 1985, two pathologists testified that Belushi's cause of death was due to an overdose. Dr.Ronald Kornblumwas acting Los Angeles County Coroner, andDr. Michael Badenwas a former coroner from New York City testifying as an expert witness.[39][40][41]

Cathy Smith was arrested by theLos Angeles Police Departmenton March 5, 1982 for possession of narcotics. This arrest was not in relation to Belushi's death.[42]Later in 1982,Rolling Stonemagazinedescribed the circumstances of her arrest: "On the afternoon of March 5th, Cathy Evelyn Smith had appeared driving the wrong way into the one-way exit of the Chateau Marmont Hotel on Sunset Strip behind the wheel of John Belushi's rented red Mercedes…At that moment, a hundred feet away, Belushi lay naked and dead on the floor of his $200-a-day bungalow. The police who had cordoned off the area were reflexively insisting it had been 'death from natural causes'. "[42]The LAPD released Smith after questioning.[42]

In an interview with theNational Enquirerin May 1982, Smith admitted that she had been with Belushi at the Chateau Marmont on the night of his death. After the appearance of theEnquirerarticle, Smith wasextraditedfrom Canada, and charged withsecond degree murder.[4]The case delayed for four years while her lawyers negotiated. Smith pled no contest June 11, 1986, to involuntary manslaughter and three counts of furnishing and administering controlled substances to Belushi in the hours before he was found dead.[4]She served fifteen months in prison at Chino,California Institution for Women.[4]

John Belushi would not have died when he died except for the heroin that was furnished and administered by the defendant.— LA county prosecutor's office[43]

Belushi's widow Judith arranged for a traditional Orthodox Christian funeral that was conducted by an Albanian Orthodox priest.

Burial[edit]

Belushi was interred at Abel's Hill Cemetery inChilmark, Massachusetts,onMartha's Vineyard.[44]Belushi's tombstone has a skull and crossbones with the inscription, "I may be gone but Rock and Roll lives on."

After the success ofThe Blues Brothers,his fame further escalated after his death. Members of his family, along with Chilmark officials, gradually became more concerned over his gravesite becoming a tourist attraction like that ofJim Morrison.Reports increased of excess noise, damaging grass and disturbing the peace of others buried there, along with fans paying bizarre tributes by littering his gravesite with liquor bottles, beer cans, and other paraphernalia. His widow arranged to have him reinterred in an unmarked grave near the original site.[45]The tombstone of Belushi's mother atElmwood Cemetery (River Grove, Illinois),has Belushi's name inscribed on it and thus serves as acenotaph.[46]

Belushi was scheduled to present theBest Visual Effects Oscarat the1982 Academy Awardswith Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd presented the award alone, and stated from the lectern: "My partner, he would have loved to have been here tonight to present this award, since he was somewhat of a visual effect himself."[47]

WhenElizabeth Taylorlearned of Belushi's death, she referenced his comedic impersonation of her onSaturday Night Livein 1978, when she had been overweight, by sardonically remarking that he had gone "to such great lengths to satirize my excesses and then died of his own."[48]

Tributes, legacy, and popular culture[edit]

A 2008 stamp fromAlbania

During the first liveSaturday Night Liveepisode following Belushi's death with hostRobert Urichand musical guestMink DeVille,airing live on March 20, 1982, cast memberBrian Doyle-Murraygave a tribute to him.[49]During the preproduction ofGhostbusters,Reitman remarked thatSlimerbore a resemblance to Belushi's character Bluto fromAnimal House.[50]Since then, Slimer has been described as "the ghost of John Belushi" by Aykroyd in many interviews.

Belushi's life was detailed in two books: the 1984 biographyWired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John BelushibyBob Woodward,the accuracy of which has been questioned by journalists and by people close to Belushi,[51]and the 1990 memoirSamurai Widowby his widow Judith. Woodward's book was adapted into afilm of the same namein 1989, which was denounced by Aykroyd and Judith, and was given poor reviews by critics. Belushi's career and death were prominently featured in the 1999 memoir of his manager Bernie Brillstein, who wrote that he was haunted by the comedian's death. He wrote that learned how to better deal with clients.[35]

Eddie Moneywrote "Passing by the Graveyard (Song for John B.)", from his 1982 albumNo Control,in tribute to Belushi. The two became friends after Money was a musical guest onSaturday Night Liveduring the show's third season.[52]Thethrash metalgroupAnthraxpenned a song about Belushi on their 1987 albumAmong the Living,titled "Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)."[53]Polish rock bandLady Pankrecorded a song "John Belushi" for their 1988 albumTacy sami,with references to his Albanian ancestry.

Belushi has been portrayed by actors Eric Siegel inGilda Radner:It's Always Something,Tyler LabineinBehind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story ofMork & Mindy(which also features his friendship with Robin Williams),Michael ChiklisinWired,andJohn GemberlinginA Futile and Stupid Gesture.Chris Farley,who was heavily influenced by Belushi, died in 1997 at age 33 due to a drug overdose, which has fueled many comparisons between Belushi and Farley.[54]

Belushi's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

In 2004, Belushi was posthumously inducted into theHollywood Walk of Famewith amotion pictures starlocated at 6355Hollywood Boulevard.[55]In 2006,Biography Channelaired an episode ofFinal 24,a documentary following Belushi during the last 24 hours leading to his death. Four years later, Biography aired a full documentary of Belushi's life. In 2015, Belushi was ranked byRolling Stoneas the greatestSaturday Night Livecast member of all time.[56]

Belushi's widow later remarried and became Judith Jacklin Belushi Pisano. However, she and her second husband, Victor Pisano, divorced in 2010.[57][58][59]Biographer Tanner Colby producedBelushi: A Biography,a collection of first-person interviews and photographs of Belushi's life, in 2005.

Saturday Night LivecastmateJane Curtin,who appeared onThe Oprah Winfrey Showin 2011, stated that Belushi was amisogynistwho would deliberately sabotage the work of female writers and comics while working on the show: "So you'd go to a table read, and if a woman writer had written a piece for John, he would not read it in his full voice. He felt as though it was his duty to sabotage pieces written by women."[60]Saturday Night LivewriterAnne Beattssuggested that because she was writing a book with his wife at the time, Belushi was frustrated with them spending more time on the book than with him. He complained to Michaels about Beatts and Rosie Shuster.[61]Judith said that Belushi was a "Women's Libber"and did not hate women.[62]

Judith, who worked to keep Belushi’s legacy alive and who was credited for her role in assisting Belushi and Dan Aykroyd withThe Blues Brothers,died in July 2024.[57][59][58]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1975 Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle Craig Baker English version, Voice
1978 Animal House John Blutarsky
Goin' South Deputy Hector
1979 Old Boyfriends Eric Katz
1941 Captain Bill "Wild Bill" Kelso
1980 The Blues Brothers Jake "Joliet Jake" Blues
1981 Continental Divide Ernie Souchak
Neighbors Earl Keese Final film role

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1975–1980 Saturday Night Live Various Roles 79 episodes; also writer
1976 The Beach Boys: It's OK Cop #2 TV movie; also writer
1978 The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash Ron Decline TV movie

Others[edit]

Year Title Notes
1973 National Lampoon Lemmings Stage
1973–1974 The National Lampoon Radio Hour Radio, also Creative Director
1975 The National Lampoon Show Stage

Discography[edit]

Comedy albums[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdeBrowne, Ray Broadus; Browne, Pat (2001).The Guide to United States Popular Culture.Popular Press. pp. 78–.ISBN978-0879728212.RetrievedSeptember 10,2014.
  2. ^abcSellers, Robert (2010).An A–Z of Hellraisers: A Comprehensive Compendium of Outrageous Insobriety.Random House. pp. 53–.ISBN978-1409051008.RetrievedSeptember 10,2014.
  3. ^Stewart, Robery W. (September 12, 1985)."Either of 2 Drugs Could Have Killed Belushi--Coroner".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 11, 2020.RetrievedOctober 11,2020.
  4. ^abcdeWheeler, Brad (August 26, 2020)."Cathy Smith, who admitted to killing John Belushi, was a woman of mystery".The Globe and Mail.
  5. ^ab"Mother of John, Jim Belushi Dies at 64".Tulsa World.Associated Press. December 23, 1989.RetrievedNovember 22,2020.
  6. ^"Denny-Mahoney – User Trees".Genealogy.
  7. ^"Denny-Mahoney – User Trees".Genealogy.RetrievedJune 15,2017.
  8. ^"Adam A. Belushi".Chicago Tribune.June 2, 1996. Archived fromthe originalon November 22, 2020.RetrievedNovember 22,2020.
  9. ^abE. W. Jr. Smith (2010).Athletes Once: 100 Famous People Who Were Once Notable Athletes.Fireship Press. p. 195.ISBN978-1611791402.…son of Agnes, a first generation Albanian-American, and Adam, an Albanian immigrant and restaurant operator who left his native village, Qyteze, in 1934.
  10. ^Collins, Glenn (February 17, 1993)."Belushi Is No Stranger To a Bar Owner's Role Despite the Movie Image".The New York Times.
  11. ^Marion, Nancy E; Oliver, Willard M. (2014).Drugs in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law.ABC-CLIO. p. 103.ISBN978-1610695961.RetrievedMay 28,2015.
  12. ^"John Belushi".NBC.Archived fromthe originalon February 6, 2009.
  13. ^Broyard, Anatole (June 2, 1984)."Books Of The Times; Close-Up Of John Belushi".The New York Times.
  14. ^Blanchet, Brenton (July 6, 2024)."Judy Belushi-Pisano, Widow of John Belushi and Producer, Dies at 73: 'There Was No One Like Her'".People Magazine.
  15. ^Nancy, Marion; Oliver, Willard (2014).Drugs in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law.ABC-CLIO. p. 103.ISBN978-1610695954.
  16. ^"Famous people of Whitewater".Royal Purple.February 25, 2015.RetrievedOctober 1,2020.
  17. ^Bode, Gus."Survey says:SIUC resembles Animal House'".Daily Egyptian.RetrievedJanuary 3,2021.
  18. ^"The National Lampoon Radio Hour".NPR.org.November 17, 2003.
  19. ^Voger, Mark (April 22, 2016)."National Lampoon's rise and fall".Jersey Retro: ENTERTAINMENT.NJ.NJ Advance Media.
  20. ^"The Wolverines - Saturday Night Live".YouTube.October 3, 2013.
  21. ^Epstein, Lawrence Jeffrey (2004).Mixed Nuts: America's Love Affair with Comedy Teams: from Burns and Allen to Belushi and Aykroyd.PublicAffairs. pp.223–.ISBN9781586481902.RetrievedSeptember 10,2014.
  22. ^Parish, James Robert (2011).The Hollywood Book of Extravagance: The Totally Infamous, Mostly Disastrous, and Always Compelling Excesses of America's Film and TV Idols.John Wiley & Sons. pp. 102–.ISBN978-1118039021.RetrievedSeptember 10,2014.
  23. ^"'Saturday Night Live': All 145 Cast Members Ranked ".Rolling Stone.No. 1229. February 26, 2015. p. 32. Archived fromthe originalon October 2, 2015.RetrievedFebruary 3,2018.
  24. ^"100 Top Grossing Movies of All Time – Page 5 – 24/7 Wall St".RetrievedOctober 26,2020.
  25. ^Friend, Tad (April 12, 2004)."Comedy First".The New Yorker.ISSN0028-792X.RetrievedJanuary 28,2019.
  26. ^"Steve Cropper".StaxRecords.April 10, 2019.RetrievedNovember 10,2020.
  27. ^In his biography of Belushi,Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi,Bob Woodwardlearned, from the numerous interviews he conducted, that Belushi recruited Cropper and Dunn by "alternating good-natured jokes and hard sell."
  28. ^de Visé, Daniel (2024).The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic.Atlantic Monthly Press. pp. 293, 294.
  29. ^"The Night John Belushi Booked the Punk Band Fear on Saturday Night Live, And They Got Banned from the Show".Open Culture.
  30. ^Evans, Bradford (March 3, 2011)."The Lost Roles of John Belushi".Splitsider.Archived fromthe originalon May 17, 2018.
  31. ^"High Times Greats: John Belushi".High Times.January 22, 2021.
  32. ^"John Belushi".IMDb.
  33. ^"Inside the Blues Brothers' shocking cocaine budget - Far Out Magazine".June 16, 2021.
  34. ^abcWEHO Online Community News article dated November 26, 2023
  35. ^abBrillstein, Bernie (1999)Where Did I Go Right? You're No One in Hollywood Unless Someone Wants You Dead.Little, Brown and Company.[ISBN missing][page needed]
  36. ^"Robin Williams".Biography.Biography Channel. July 7, 2006.
  37. ^"John Belushi Dies at the Chateau Marmont".franksreelreviews.
  38. ^"The Final Days of John Belushi: What Led to His Sudden Death? | Biography".biography.May 20, 2020.
  39. ^Stewart, Robert W. (September 12, 1985)."Either of 2 Drugs Could Have Killed Belushi--Coroner".Los Angeles Times.Los Angeles.RetrievedJune 23,2023.…Fatal amounts of cocaine and morphine found in Belushi's blood after he died…, said Dr. Ronald Kornblum, the county's acting chief medical examiner…
  40. ^Chambers, Marcia (September 19, 1985)."PATHOLOGIST CITES HEROIN IN DEATH OF BELUSHI".The New York Times.New York City.Archivedfrom the original on October 9, 2023.RetrievedJune 23,2024.Dr. Michael Baden, New York City's former chief medical examiner, testified today that if John Belushi had not consumed heroin on March 5, 1982, he would not have died.… During his two hours of testimony, Dr. Baden… testified that he agreed with findings by Dr. Ronald Kornblum, the Los Angeles medical examiner, that Mr. Belushi died of acute heroin and cocaine poisoning at the age of 33.…"…Mayor Koch of New York ousted Dr. Baden as the city's chief medical examiner in 1979. Dr. Baden is on medical leave as one of the city's deputy medical examiners.… ' Preliminary hearing 1985.
  41. ^Stewart, Robert W. (September 19, 1985)."Heroin Killed Belushi, Pathologist Asserts".Los Angeles Times.Los Angeles.RetrievedJune 23,2024.…Baden initially said he agreed with the conclusion of Los Angeles County's acting chief medical examiner, Dr. Ronald Kornblum, who testified last week that Belushi died of acute cocaine and morphine intoxication.…
  42. ^abc"John Belushi: Wrong Time, Wrong Place, Wrong People".Rolling Stone.May 13, 1982.RetrievedNovember 24,2020.
  43. ^"Cathy Smith Gets 3 Years for Role in Belushi's Death".LA Times.September 3, 1986.RetrievedNovember 24,2020.
  44. ^Benoit, Tod (2015).Where Are They Buried?: How Did They Die? Fitting Ends and Final Resting Places of the Famous, Infamous, and Noteworthy.Hachette Books.ISBN978-0316391962– via Google Books.
  45. ^"Top 10 Celebrity Grave Sites".Time.September 3, 2009 – via content.time.
  46. ^Wilson, Scott (2016).Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.McFarland.ISBN978-0786479924– via Google Books.
  47. ^"The Oscars of 1982".Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on March 28, 2023.
  48. ^Taylor, Elizabeth (1988).Elizabeth Takes Off: On Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Self-Image and Self-Esteem.G. P. Putnam's Sons.ISBN978-0399132698– via Google Books.
  49. ^"81n: Robert Urich / Mink De Ville".Saturday Night Live Transcripts.October 8, 2018.
  50. ^Shay, Don (1985).Making Ghostbusters,p. 78 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York,ISBN0918432685.Joe Medjuck says: "One day, during preproduction, we were all sitting around talking about the Onionhead concept, and Ivan remarked that the character was sort of like Bluto in Animal House – like the ghost of John Belushi, in a way, Danny, who was obviously a good friend of John's, never argued with that. Even so, we never officially said that and we never mentioned it in the script. It was just one way to look at the character, because Onionhead's grossness is like Bluto's in Animal House. We certainly never expected anyone to recognize him as such, although somehow the word did get out and we received some calls from a few newspapers saying they'd heard we had the ghost of John Belushi in our movie."
  51. ^Colby, Tanner (March 12, 2013)."Regrettable".Slate.RetrievedMarch 13,2013.
  52. ^Tramel, Jimmie (November 13, 2017)."Jimmie Tramel: Rocker Eddie Money's best work came from dark place".tulsaworld.RetrievedOctober 28,2020.
  53. ^Prato, Prato (February 26, 2013)."Songfacts Interview with Charlie Benante by Greg Prato".Songfacts.RetrievedJanuary 31,2016.
  54. ^Goldblatt, Henry (May 7, 2008)."'Chris Farley Show' stuffed with gossip ".CNN.RetrievedJune 8,2008.
  55. ^"Hollywood Walk of Fame – John Belushi".walkoffame.Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.RetrievedNovember 16,2017.
  56. ^Sheffield, Rob (February 11, 2015)."'Saturday Night Live': All 141 Cast Members Ranked ".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon October 2, 2015.RetrievedMarch 25,2015.
  57. ^abJohnson, Michael (July 8, 2024)."Judith Belushi Pisano, widow of Chicago icon John Belushi, dies at 73".WGN.RetrievedJuly 8,2024.
  58. ^abSeonwoo, Eunki (July 6, 2024)."Judith Belushi Pisano dies at 73".Martha's Vineyard Times.RetrievedJuly 8,2024.
  59. ^abPina, Christy (July 6, 2024)."Judy Belushi Pisano, Actress and Widow of John Belushi, Dies at 73".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedJuly 6,2024.
  60. ^"John Belushi A Misogynist".Huffington Post.May 7, 2008.RetrievedJune 8,2008.
  61. ^"Writer Anne Beatts on the original" SNL "cast".EmmyTVLegends.org.Archived fromthe originalon October 28, 2021.
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