Judy Belushi-Pisano, an actor and the widow of “Saturday Night time Stay” star John Belushi, died Friday, in keeping with social media posts shared by the Belushi property. She was 73.
Belushi-Pisano died after a years-long battle with endometrial most cancers, her son Luke Pisano informed the Martha’s Winery Instances. Luke stated that Belushi-Pisano — a “nice mom,” “beloved sister” and “particular individual” — was recognized in 2020 and entered hospice care in 2023.
John Belushi’s official Instagram, run by his property, paid tribute to the comic’s widow, saying, “There was nobody like her.”
“Judy made everybody really feel liked,” the put up learn. “She was nonjudgmental, mild, humorous and pure. You possibly can be actually your self round her, that alone was a present.”
The put up acknowledged her “unwavering dedication and artistic genius” within the creation of the Blues Brothers, a blues and revue band initially led by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.
Belushi died in 1982 at age 33 from a drug overdose.
“Within the years following John’s passing in 1982, Judy honored his life and championed his legacy and Blues Brothers model,” the put up learn. “As we bid farewell, we pledge to proceed her work, guaranteeing that John’s legacy, and the Blues Brothers won’t ever fade.”
Born Judith Jacklin, Belushi-Pisano was Belushi’s highschool sweetheart. They married on New 12 months’s Eve 1976.
“I figured that at the least was a date he’d have the ability to bear in mind,” she joked to the Chicago Tribune in 2004.
Belushi-Pisano spent 15 years with Belushi as he grew to become a widely known determine within the comedy world, particularly as one of many authentic “Saturday Night time Stay” forged members. She participated in Belushi’s tasks, together with the musical “The Blues Brothers” and comedy “Nationwide Lampoon’s Animal Home,” in keeping with IMDb.
She was deeply shaken by her husband’s dying, she informed the Chicago Tribune.
Within the fast aftermath, “It was tough to go to the grocery retailer,” Belushi-Pisano stated. “It was tough to look at him on ‘Saturday Night time Stay.’”
Belushi-Pisano grew to become a champion — and a staunch defender — of Belushi’s life and legacy. Upon his dying, she gave journalist Bob Woodward entry to Belushi’s family members for the biography “Wired: The Quick Life and Quick Instances of John Belushi.”
She was publicly enraged by the completed product, which detailed Belushi’s drug abuse. (Woodward stated his strategy was meant to exhibit how the leisure business enabled the habit, the Chicago Every day Herald reported in 2005.)
To counter “Wired” and its film adaptation, Belushi-Pisano launched “Samurai Widow” in 1990. Her intentions with the e book have been to make clear who her first husband was outdoors of his drug habit and to assist others experiencing the same heartbreaking loss, in keeping with a 1990 Houston Chronicle article.
“The primary theme can be a lady’s story, going by way of an necessary transition time, by way of two healings,” she informed the Plain Seller in 1990.
The identical 12 months “Samurai Widow” was launched, Belushi-Pisano married Victor Pisano. They divorced in 2010.
In 2005, Belushi-Pisano helped write one other biography about her first husband, titled “Belushi.” She informed the Daytona Seaside Information-Journal in 2006 that she struggled for years to reconcile herself to Belushi’s dying.
Belushi-Pisano, at the moment, stated she nonetheless positioned flowers at his grave.
“Sometime I think about that there’ll be a day after I simply gained’t be there,” she stated. “There will probably be one thing else I’ve to do. I went by way of an extended grieving course of. … Now I can say that’s over and I can acknowledge John’s lifeless. I can have a look at his life now and … form of say, ‘The best way he died was tragic, however he had a helluva life.’ We had loads of nice instances and we had struggles, and we went up and down, however largely that was an excellent life.”
Belushi-Pisano is survived by her 4 youngsters, in addition to grandchildren.
