Photo: youtube
She plays a pivotal role in the new documentary.
By Deauna Roane — Written on Nov 23, 2020
John Belushi, actor, comedian, singer, was born in Wheaton, Illinois to an Albanian immigrant restaurant owner and his wife and died tragically of a drug overdose at age 33.
He's best known as one of the original seven cast members of Saturday Night Live as well as his iconic roles in The Blues Brothers, 1941, and National Lampoon's Animal House.
John Belushi is back in the news because a new documentary Belushi, which depicts his tragically extraordinary life, debuted on Showtime yesterday.
Director, R.J. Cutler says he wanted to focus on Belushi's vivid life, rather than ruminating on his horrible death.
Of the documentary, Cutler said, "One of the important aspirations was to capture the lightness and the joy that John not only experienced but that he brought to the world."
One of the most prominently featured voices in the documentary is that of John's highschool sweetheart and wife, Judy Belushi.
Who is John Belushi's wife, Judy Belushi?
Judith Belushi Pisano was born in Wheaton, Illinois as Judith Jacklin to Robert Leslie Jacklin and Jean Buchanan.
Judith was the youngest of four children whose names are unknown.
She graduated from Wheaton Central High school in 1969.
Where is Judy Belushi now?
Judith Belushi Pisano is a film producer by trade. She's best known for her work on John Belushi: Dancing on the Edge and The Best of John Belushi.
She was also a writer for one episode of SNL, "I was offered a 13-week contract there as a writer, which I decided to take. John, understanding the particular chaos and pressures of SNL’s live TV format said, 'Why would you want to write for them?' I wrote on one show, then the writers' strike happened, our contracts became null and void, and I never went back."
She also made short cameos in two of her late husband's films The Blues Brothers and Animal House.
Judith had an interest in art and design which led to her first project as an assistant in the art department for comedy magazine National Lampoon.
How old is Judith Belushi Pisano?
Judith Belushi Pisano is 69 years old and was born on January 7, 1951.
Judy Belushi is a Capricorn.
John and Judy were high school sweethearts.
Judith and John both attended Wheaton Central High School in the 1960s. The two began dating while Judith was a sophomore and John was a senior.
After they both graduated, they moved to New York City together to chase John's dreams of stardom. They were married from 1976 until Belushi's death in 1982.
John's drug addiction was tough on their marriage.
John Belushi started experimenting with drugs in the 1970s when he started his path to fame and eventually infamously died at the Chateau Marmont from an overdose of cocaine and heroin.
The night he died he was injected by a Canadian backup singer and fellow drug addict, Cathy Smith.
After a messy investigation, Cathy was ultimately charged with involuntary manslaughter and served time in prison.
Judy revealed later on that she had forgiven Cathy — and herself — saying that Cathy was" sick and easier to forgive."
Belushi died in LA on March 5, 1982. He was only 33 years old.
Who is Judy Belushi's husband?
Years after Belushi's death, Judith remarried to a fellow film producer Victor Pisano.
Judith said in an interview, “Victor and I have a chance to have a really good life. I looked up the word ‘widow’ in the dictionary, and it defined it as a woman who has lost her husband and hasn’t remarried. In a few months, I won’t be a widow anymore. That’s kind of nice.”
The couple was married in 1990 but in 2010 Judith filed for divorce. However, the divorce was never finalized and the current marital status is unknown.
Judy Belushi kids — does she have any?
According to Judith's Twitter bio, she is a mother. A mother to who and how many is unknown. But she has mentioned a son named Lucas in a few of her tweets.
Judith Belushi Pisanoo's net worth is $1.2 million as of 2020.
Deauna Nunes is an editorial intern who covers pop culture and news & entertainment for YourTango. She's been published by Emerson College's literary magazine Generic. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.