Today would have been the 59th birthday of comic genius and actor John Belushi had he not fatally overdosed in the spring of 1982 in Bungalow #3 of the Chateau Marmont in Los Angelos after ingesting 11 "speedballs".An acquaintance,Cathy Smith,was later sentenced to 18 months in prison for involunatry manslaughter after admitting to the National Enquirer and the world that she administered the fatal drugs to Belushi.
He was the first SNL cast member to die,but not the last as Phil Hartman,Chris Farley,and Gilda Radnor followed.Farley,like Belushi,died from drug abuse.While few movies based on SNL sketch characters are blockbusters,"The Blues Brothers" was a runaway hit when it was released but his Belushis best known role aside from SNL was that of "Bluto" Blutarsky in the classic movie "National Lampoons Animal House".Johns wife at the time,Judith Belushi-Pisano,played an uncredited role of the coed dancing with Bluto at the frat house basement Toga party.With recent news of Heath Ledger and his drug-related death,just thinking about Belushi makes it sadder even more.Long live his characters!
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