John Belushi’s death at 33 years old in March 1982 sent shockwaves across Hollywood, leaving his ‘Saturday Night Live’ family in mourning and questions surrounding the circumstances of his final night on the Sunset Strip. ET looks back at the day Belushi was found dead at the Chateau Marmont, featuring unseen interviews with Chevy Chase and Lorne Michaels just hours after news broke, and rare footage of the media frenzy as the ‘Animal House’ star’s body was removed from the Los Angeles hotel. Outside his funeral, ET learned how his on-screen Blues Brother, Dan Aykroyd, and real-life brother, Jim Belushi, eulogized the comedian for the 1,000 people who packed into the New York City church. The ensuing criminal trial against drug dealer Cathy Evelyn Smith, who injected Belushi with his fatal mix of cocaine and heroin, revealed surprising details about Belushi’s final hours, including the presence of Robin Williams and Robert De Niro at his $200-a-night bungalow. Watch one of Belushi’s final interviews in late 1981, in which he and Akyroyd shared plans for multiple new movies; two of those projects were later revealed to be ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Spies Like Us.’ In an intimate sit-down, his widow, Judy Belushi-Pisano, recalled Aykroyd breaking the news to her in person. Over the years, ‘SNL’ co-stars Bill Murray, Laraine Newman and Jane Curtin opened up to ET about witnessing Belushi’s escalating drug addiction at Studio 8H. After the show’s debut in 1975, the comedian became a breakout star among the ‘Not Ready for Primetime Players,’ thanks to his Joe Cocker and Beethoven impressions, plus now-iconic sketches like ‘Little Chocolate Donuts’ and ‘Cheeseburger Cheeseburger.’ His five-season run left an indelible impression on future cast member Chris Farley, whose own overdose in 1997 tragically paralleled the death of his idol, which in part led to years of headlines spouting a so-called ‘SNL curse.’ Aykroyd put it this way to ET months after Farley’s death, and more than 15 years after losing his best friend: ‘The lesson, of course, is just you got to watch those powders and pills.’
