Here's Who Inherited John Belushi's Money After He Died
John Belushi was a comedic star whose rock-n'-roll lifestyle caused him to burn out rather than fade away. The "Saturday Night Live" and "Blues Brothers" icon constantly struggled with drug abuse that would eventually claim his life after an accidental overdose on a "speedball," a combination of heroin and cocaine, at the age of just 33 (via UPI). Belushi was a Hollywood favorite at the time, starring in multiple prominent comedies throughout the late '70s and early '80s, although his addictions and constant relapses snuffed out a bright talent as he died alone in a hotel room.
Belushi's entire estate, reportedly around $500,000, was given to his wife Judith. Nothing was given to either of Belushi's parents or his younger brother, Jim, who had an impressive acting career of his own. According to "Drugs In American Society," (via Google Books), Belushi met Judith Jacklin in high school, and the couple was married in 1976, six years before the comedian's fatal overdose. Judith, who became a producer on "SNL," would later reach the headlines again over her late husband's money.
Belushi's money came up in court
While we can only speculate about how other family members of the Belushi household felt about being excluded from the late comedian's will, John Belushi's posthumous earnings did spark some legal troubles decades after his death. His widow Judith remarried a man named Victor Pisano, but in 2015 the couple filed for divorce (via Hollywood Reporter). A prenuptial agreement stated that each person would keep their intellectual property rights from one another in the case of divorce, a useful clause given that both were involved in the entertainment industry as producers.
An issue arose from the fact that a majority of Judith's earnings came from her late husband, as franchises like "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers" are still profitable to this day. Pisano claimed that he hadn't waived alimony rights for Belushi-based income, and that those rights weren't covered by the prenup. The claims were limited by a judge, a decision held up by an appeals court. Not everything went Judith's way, however, as debt from a sizable loan from Jim Belushi was determined to be hers alone. Even 30 years after his passing, John Belushi's will had ramifications.