The unanswered questions led Belushi's widow to ask journalist Bob Woodward to investigate her husband's death. She pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and three of the drug charges and spent 15 months in prison. Smith was later charged with murder and drug-related offenses after admitting that she supplied and administered "speedballs" to Belushi to the National Inquirer, which reportedly paid her $15,000 for her story. People wanted him to be the Belushi they'd seen on screen," said Michaels in the same article.ĭespite the fact that it was an apparent overdose, there was still some mystery surrounding the exact circumstances of Belushi's death. It caused a big exodus from drugs," Williams told Entertainment Weekly. "His death scared a whole group of show-business people. Many were shocked and saddened by the comedian's sudden death. On March 9, 1982, Belushi was buried near his home in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Only thirty-three years old, he died from a drug overdose of a combination of cocaine and heroin, also known as a "speedball." The woman who was with him and had supplied him with drugs, Cathy Smith, was questioned by the police and released. The next day Belushi was found dead in his hotel room. On the night of March 4, 1982, he was reportedly partying with the likes of Robin Williams. He was also doing a lot of drugs at the time. During the final week of his life, Belushi rented a bungalow at the Chateau Marmont, a popular hotel for the Hollywood set. Belushi was traveling back and forth between his home in New York City and California to work on the script in 1982. In the months leading up to his death, he was reportedly spending about $2,500 a week on his habit, according to People magazine. But he was also struggling with his drug problem. Overdose and Deathįor his next project, Belushi became active behind the scenes and wrote the screenplay for Noble Rot. Again, audiences were disappointed to not see Belushi as a manic ball of comic energy and this affected the film's reception by the public. The roles were reversed for the film as Belushi played a mostly straight, subdued man up against Aykroyd's loud and obnoxious character who has moved in next door to him. Reunited with Aykroyd, Belushi starred in Neighbors (1981). Critic Roger Ebert described his performance as having "a surprising tenderness and charm." Despite mostly warm reviews, the film was a box office disappointment. In Continental Divide (1981), he played a Chicago journalist who falls for a reclusive eagle expert (Blair Brown) he tracks down in the Rocky Mountains. The film also featured several musical cameos by such talented recording artists as Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway and James Brown.įocusing on his film career, Belushi was frustrated with the response to his next two films. The outlandish comedy had crazy car chases, neo-Nazis and nearly everything else but the kitchen sink in it. The Blues brothers work on reuniting the members of their old band to raise money to fulfill their mission. There they learn that they are on "a mission from God" to save the orphanage. His brother Elwood (Aykroyd) picks him up and the two visit the Chicago orphanage where they grew up. The Blues Brothers begins when "Joliet" Jake Blues (Belushi) is released from prison. They brought Jake and Elwood Blues to the big screen in 1980. While Belushi and Aykroyd left Saturday Night Live in 1979, they continued working together as their musical alter egos.
The duo recorded an album, 1978's Briefcase Full of Blues, which had some success, and toured the country with a backup band. While on Saturday Night Live, the two of them developed a blues parody act known as the Blues Brothers. In real life, Belushi and Aykroyd were good friends. (1874–1938) 'Blues Brothers' and Other Movies