The Truth About Dan Aykroyd's Relationship With His Brother Peter
Dan wasn't the only funny Aykroyd behind early seasons of "Saturday Night Live" — his younger brother, Peter Aykroyd, was a writer and cast member in 1979 (via People). Though Peter Aykroyd was only on the show for one season, it was enough to earn him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing In a Variety or Music Program.
Before Peter's death in November of 2021, he and Dan Aykroyd worked together throughout their years in comedy; most notably, they co-wrote the 1991 film "Nothing But Trouble" starring Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, John Candy, and Demi Moore. Peter Aykroyd also acted in several of his brother's movies, including "Coneheads" and "Doctor Detroit," and even voiced Elwood, the role his brother originated, on the "The Blues Brothers Animated Series" (via IMDb). This was one of his last roles before his death at 66 in November 2021.
The siblings clearly had a long professional relationship, but what was their personal relationship like? Though the Aykroyds were private, it seems as though the two at least shared a very unusual interest.
Real-life ghostbusters
If you know anything about Dan Aykroyd beyond his movie career, you probably know he has an enduring interest in the paranormal — the Canadian comedian even says that the movie "Ghostbusters" came out of his interest in parapsychology (via Yahoo! Entertainment). What you might not know is that his entire family, including his brother, also shared an interest in the spooky subject — a fascination that goes back to his great-grandfather, a spiritualist mystic. "It's a family business, really," Dan Aykroyd told Yahoo! Entertainment.
Taking after their father, who wrote the book "A History of Ghosts" inspired by their unusual family lore (via Mental Floss), Dan and Peter went beyond just creating comedy together — they also jointly investigated the paranormal. Peter was an executive producer on "Dan Aykroyd's Out There," the never-aired talk show hosted by Dan on the subject of the supernatural; Peter was also was the creator and executive producer of "PSI Factor," the fictionalized show about a government agency investigating the uncanny that was hosted by Dan (via IMDb).