John Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). Throughout his career, Belushi had a personal and artistic partnership with his fellow SNL star Dan Aykroyd, whom he met while they were both working at Chicago's Second City comedy club. In 1975, Chevy Chase and Michael O'Donoghue recommended Belushi to SNL creator and showrunner Lorne Michaels, who accepted him as a new cast member of the show after an audition. Belushi developed a series of characters on the show that reached great success, including his performances as Henry Kissinger and Ludwig van Beethoven.
After his breakout film role as Bluto in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), Belushi appeared in films such as 1941, The Blues Brothers, and Neighbors. He also pursued interests in music, creating with Aykroyd, Lou Marini, Tom Malone, Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, and Paul Shaffer, The Blues Brothers, which led to the successful film of the same name. In his personal life, Belushi struggled with heavy drug abuse that threatened his comedy career; more than once, he was dismissed and rehired at SNL due to his behavior. In 1982, Belushi died from combined drug intoxication at the Chateau Marmont hotel in West Hollywood, California. A tragic end to a Hollywood Legend.