What happened to John Belushi? Jim Belushi recalls Favorite career moment with late brother

John Belushi had stormed into the comedy world in 1975 as part of the first cast of Saturday Night Live.

7 years later, the 33-year-old comedian was found dead in a Hollywood hotel, leaving behind a legacy that still shaped comedy decades later. He moved to New York in 1973, and within two years, John Belushi's energy and presence caught the attention of producer Lorne Michaels. By 1975, he became one of the breakout stars on SNL. But behind that success, he fought a battle few around him could win for him.

“We had everything going for us, and yet because of those damn drugs, everything just got out of control,” his wife and high school sweetheart, Judy Belushi-Pisano, told People Magazine back in 1990.

Recently, People Magazine reported that Jim Belushi looked back on his early days in Hollywood and spoke about a favorite moment from his career, one that involved his late brother, John Belushi.

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Jim Belushi looks back on the magic of watching his brother John Belushi reach the top:

Jim Belushi couldn’t help but drift back to the beginning, the smoky clubs, the laughter, and the nights when his brother John seemed unstoppable. Speaking exclusively with People Magazine at the Song Sung Blue premiere at AFI Fest in Los Angeles on Oct. 26, the 71-year-old actor looked back at the days when he and John were just finding their footing in Hollywood.

“I’ll tell you what I loved: I loved going to the Universal Amphitheatre when they (The Blues Brothers band) came to L.A. and they opened for Steve Martin, it was magic! And John was so, so magnificent. I loved that moment, to see my brother just hit the top of his chart,” Jim shared.

The act’s success exploded. John and Aykroyd released a double-platinum album. They also co-starred in The Blues Brothers in 1980.

After his brother’s passing, Jim eventually took on the mantle as Zee Blues, performing with Aykroyd to keep the legacy alive.

“We just did [a show] last week in Leesburg, Virginia,” he told People Magazine, calling the continuation “all Danny’s idea.”

“He wanted me to do the Blues Brothers. I said, ‘Absolutely not. That was John’s, not mine, he goes, ‘Ah, Jimmy. It’s like a law firm. When one of the partners passes away, the brother comes in and takes over.’ ‘Really?’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’ ‘You don’t think it’s weird?’ He goes, ‘Absolutely not!’ I’m like, ‘All right,’ ” Jim recalled.

Jim also added:

“I’ve been having a ball for 25 years, singing and dancing with that 6'4" Canadian, beautiful man.”

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The final hours of John Belushi: A night that Hollywood never forgot

On the morning of March 5, 1982, John Belushi’s life ended due to a drug overdose.

At first, investigators didn’t see a crime scene. There was no sign of struggle, no reason to suspect drugs. But what John Belushi had done in the previous 24 hours painted a darker picture. The night before, The New York Times reported that he’d shared dinner on the Sunset Strip with Robert De Niro, stopped by the Improv in West Hollywood for a comedy show, and ended up at On the Rox, a small upstairs club where the music and drinks flowed deep into the night. When the lights went out on the Strip, Rolling Stone reported, the party carried on back at the Chateau Marmont, where John was staying.

“John was always the guy who went a little too far and wanted to stay too long at the party,” his wife, Judy, told People Magazine in 2020.

By morning, Belushi complained of alternating chills and sweats. Around 8 a.m., he went to sleep and never woke up. Bill Wallace, his personal trainer, found him four hours later, unresponsive and not breathing.

Police first attributed his death to “natural causes.” But when needle marks were discovered, the truth became impossible to ignore. According to The New York Times, the coroner’s report identified the cause as “acute cocaine and heroin intoxication.” The findings also revealed the toll his lifestyle had taken: congestion in the lungs, liver, and spleen; a swollen brain; a heart enlarged beyond its years; and clogged arteries that hinted at long-term strain.

Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi's close friend and creative partner, was the one who told Judy that John was gone. Speaking to People Magazine in 2024, Aykroyd said,

“That’s a piece of trauma that will be with me forever. I lament that he’s not around. It’s more than wistfulness: it’s a true lamentation.”