Judy Belushi-Pisano dead: Widow of John Belushi was 73

Judy Belushi-Pisano — actress, producer and wife of “Animal House” and “Saturday Night Live” star John Belushi — died Friday. She was 73.Her death was announced on the official John Belushi Facebook page. The Martha’s Vineyard Times reported .“Her unwavering dedication and creative genius alongside Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi gave birth to The Blues Brothers, a timeless testament to the power of music and laughter,” read the post. “As we bid farewell, we pledge to continue her work, ensuring that John’s legacy, and the Blues Brothers will never fade.”Singer Stephen Bishop also shared his condolences on social media.“Her love for her husband John Belushi, his career and his legacy was unmatched,” Bishop wrote in the post. “She was always kind to me and stayed in touch through the years. I so enjoyed seeing her at ‘Animal House’ reunions. My memories of her are filled with warmth and affection. I’ll always cherish them.”Born Judy Jacklin in Oak Park on Jan. 7, 1951, she met Belushi at Wheaton High School, where they began dating. She eventually attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she shared a tiny apartment with future financial guru Suze Orman.Belushi would crash there often. “To say that we had the time of our lives would be putting it mildly,” Orman later said.Belushi-Pisano didn’t graduate, instead moving to an Old Town apartment with Belushi while he honed his comic craft at Second City. They married in 1976, as Belushi was beginning his ascent to stardom as one of the original stars of “Saturday Night Live.”Belushi-Pisano also appeared in bit parts in her husband’s blockbuster fims “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978) and “The Blues Brothers” (1980), as well as 1984’s “Nothing Lasts Forever.”She was a producer on “The Best of John Belushi” and “John Belushi: Dancing on the Edge” and had been slated to serve as an executive producer on an animated “Blues Brothers” show.After John Belushi’s death in 1982, she turned to preserving his legacy, authoring the memoir “Samurai Widow,” co-writing a biography titled “Belushi” and organizing Joliet’s 2021 Blues Brothers Con. was postponed in solidarity with the actors’ strike.Belushi, she told the Sun-Times in 2005, was not “a guy who just stumbled in, had a good time, and then overdid and died. He had a focus and a career and was an artist and was creative and funny and vulnerable and passionate. And I think that why he’s interested people. It’s not a fluke that people still care.”Belushi-Pisano also co-wrote two humor books, the academic parody “Titters 101: An Introduction to Children’s Literature” (1984) and the parenting guide “The Mom Book” (1986).In 1990, she married producer and director Victor Pisano. They divorced in 2010.Belushi-Pisano is survived by her children and grandchildren.Grieving the passing of our Blues Sister Judy Belushi, whose intelligence, humor, bright spirit and business acumen have kept the legend of Jake and Elwood alive all these years. I know that John was there to embrace her when she went through.