Actor, comedian and singer John Belushi left us almost 40 years ago. His vile addictions
prevented him from making a long-awaited, triumphant comeback to show business. John’s
death at the age of 33, left a noticeable dent in the industry. It’s a universal agreement
that his talent and unmatched charisma are impossible to replicate or replace.
To this day, people keep expressing their condolences to his younger brother and fellow
actor, Jim Belushi. Moreover, in the eyes of the public, John’s passing deepened the
chasm between him and Jim. Many keep stubbornly comparing the two brothers’ careers.
“Jim will never be as good as John.” “Jim is only popular thanks to John.” “I don’t
agree! Jim is a good and funny actor in his own right.”
In this Rumour Juice video, we explore what the real relationship between the two famous
members of the Belushi family was like… and how John’s death affected Jim.
Growing up, Jim Belushi says, he had two choices: either follow in John’s footsteps and become
an entertainer, or join their father’s restaurant business.
Well, have you ever heard anything about the Belushi family restaurant in America? We don’t
think so! Instead, the family name will most likely evoke warm memories of cult classic
movies, TV shows, comedy routines, and great music.
There were four kids in the Belushi family. Their parents were Albanian immigrants who
ensured that their three sons and one daughter respected their heritage. Jim, for instance,
received honorary Albanian citizenship from the President of Albania; and John is featured
on a 2008 Albanian postage stamp. So it’s safe to say that the Belushi siblings have
always stayed close to their roots. As a family of foreigners, however, the Belushis
had their share of problems while trying to assimilate. John had met his future wife,
Judith, while they were both high-schoolers, and here’s how she remembers John’s struggles:
“I think it was hard for John, going to this all-American high school in the day and
coming home to this very Albanian family in the evening. None of us in the neighbourhood
even knew what Albania was.”
John also looked different from his peers: he was dark and very self-conscious of his
ethnicity. But he didn’t let his insecurities override his life-of-the-party personality
type. In grade school, he may have been a mischievous little guy. During his high-school
years, on the other hand, he turned into a typical all-American boy. He became co-captain
of his high school’s football team, a talent-show champion, and was elected homecoming king
his senior year. His drama teacher noticed his talent and encouraged him to pursue a
career in acting instead of becoming a football coach. And thus, John Belushi began his journey
to stardom.
Due to their 5.5 year age difference, John wasn’t so close with Jim while they were
growing up. Later on, the brothers managed to build a loving relationship. They’ve
obviously had their differences. But it is evident that Jim Belushi is still fond of
his older brother. "His approval was like the sunshine," Jim
Belushi said at John’s funeral. "You couldn't do much for John except get him an ashtray."
The younger Belushi sibling remembers how they took a trip to a bathhouse - and John
washed Jim’s hair. "John never said, 'Hey, Jim, I love you,' but that day he did. Not
in words. But he washed my hair." Has Jim Belushi ever felt that John’s story
overshadowed his? On one occasion, Jim agreed that his brother’s
personality and legacy were so big they “crushed him,” and admitted that he had indeed been
living in his brother’s shadow… Only to add: “But think about what a shadow is,
the metaphor of it — it's shade. I'm in the cool of the day."
Also, he often remembers an old Chinese proverb that says: When you drink the water, remember
those who dug the well. In other words, Jim is thankful to John for digging the proverbial
well, for clearing a path in showbiz for him to follow. “In my career, I have been drinking
the greatest of spring water from a well that my brother, John, dug. And I am grateful.”
Tragically, John Belushi didn’t only dig a proverbial well for his brother. He also
dug his own grave.
John Belushi’s widow Judy wishes that, instead of focusing on his drug abuse, people would
remember all the other, way more positive things about him. “It would be refreshing
to have a story that actually celebrated John’s beautiful life: his courage to forge the life
he dreamed in an unfamiliar landscape, his dedication to his craft, his epic friendships
and loving temperament.” After all, according to his wife, John Belushi
was a symbol of his times: a hippy character from the 60s who brought rock’n’roll to
comedy in the 70s and succumbed to his cocaine addiction in the 80s; a king of comedy who
remained human and approachable. Unfortunately, it is impossible to talk about
John Belushi and not mention the other side of his personality. The one that became synonymous
with hedonism, appetite, excess… and overdosing. John Belushi started experimenting with drugs
during his SNL days, trying to deal with the constant pressures of the weekly program.
“John was on covers of magazines and experiencing a whole new level of fame,” John’s colleagues
muse. “It became overwhelming for him, and that was expressed in all the late nights,
the drugs.” The drug problem soon became a threat to his
career. He was fired from and immediately rehired to SNL several times due to his unpredictable
behaviour. The drug abuse was so bad, The Blues Brothers
movie had a budget allocated to cocaine. Years on, co-star and closest friend Dan Aykroyd
said it was common for actors of that era to do drugs on set.
“Everyone did it, including me. ... [But] John, he just loved what it did. It sort of
brought him alive at night – that superpower feeling where you start to talk and converse
and figure you can solve all the world’s problems,” Aykroyd said.
The Blues Brothers director and another friend, John Landis, noticed how Belushi couldn’t
give the movie his all and went quote “from being this really sweet guy to someone hyper
and maniacal.” Belushi continued to promise his wife Judy
that he would quit. But by early 1982, John was so stressed and depressed, and his drug
use was so excessive it alarmed his family and friends.
On March 4th, 1982, a day before his death, Belushi saw his long-time manager twice, asking
for money. The first time, the manager said no as he suspected that Belushi would use
the money to buy drugs. Later, when Belushi returned, the manager had a visitor and reluctantly
granted Belushi’s request. In the early morning hours of the day of his
death, Belushi was visited on two separate occasions by friends Robin Williams and Robert
De Niro who wanted to have some fun with him. However, both of them felt uneasy when they
saw how trashed Belushi’s bungalow was. They also didn’t feel welcome when they
saw a woman named Cathy lounging around. So neither De Niro nor Williams stayed for long.
It was Cathy, a former occasional backup singer and drug dealer, who injected John Belushi
with a lethal mixture of drugs. Cathy would later plead guilty to involuntary
manslaughter and several drug charges. She served 15 months in prison and was deported
to Canada after her release.
In 2015, Rolling Stone issued a ranking of all 141 SNL cast members of that time. John
Belushi was named Number One. "John Belushi was the 'live' in Saturday Night
Live", the article in the magazine read, "the one who made the show happen on the edge ... Nobody
embodied the highs and lows of SNL like Belushi." Meanwhile, Jim Belushi, who also appeared
on the show after his brother’s death, was ranked Number 72 and described as “SNL's
most reliable mediocrity.” We don’t think that Jim took any offence.
When Dan Aykroyd invited him to fill in the void left by John in Blues Brothers, Jim thought
it would be weird. But Aykroyd persuaded him: “It’s like a law firm — when one of
the partners goes down, a brother comes and takes over. We’ve got to carry on the spirit
and the legacy of The Blues Brothers.”
And what is Jim Belushi up to these days? He’s growing cannabis on his 93-acre property
in Oregon, and developing a TV show about his business. Can you guess his brand’s
name? That’s right, The Blues Brothers. Belushi’s aim is to spread medical cannabis
to people who need it. “No family should have to go through the
trauma of losing a loved one to opioids,” the 66-year-old says.
The business has helped him understand more about his brother’s death and the trouble
it caused for their family. "It's about the mission from God, John dying
from an opiate overdose. I want to save lives, families and communities,” Jim Belushi says,
and adds: "If Johnny was a pothead, he'd be alive today."
John Belushi would have celebrated his 71st birthday this June. He is rightfully remembered
as a film and comedy legend, but his body of work is tragically small.
He was one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night
Live. He rose to fame thanks to his roles in movies like National Lampoon’s Animal
House and The Blues Brothers. He’s had a handful of movies that were received with
lukewarm enthusiasm. At the age of 33, he was intending to make a big comeback. He had
several projects in development, including working on his own script. The role of Dr.
Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters was originally written for him! Following John Belushi’s
death, the role famously went to his SNL colleague, Bill Murray. Murray’s performance in Ghostbusters
is iconic, but we cannot help but wonder what Belushi would’ve done with the character.