Updated 10:52 pm
Judith Belushi Pisano, the wife of comedian and musician John Belushi, passed away on Friday night at 73 years of age, after a long battle with cancer.
Pisano was an actress and producer, and known for working on “The Blues Brothers” and “National Lampoon’s Animal House.”
Pisano was married to John Belushi from 1973 until his passing in 1982. She remarried to Victor Pisano in 1990 before filing for divorce in 2010.
The news of Pisano’s passing was also announced on the official John Belushi Instagram page on Saturday morning, which she had also run with the Belushi estate.
“Today, our hearts are heavy as we say goodbye to our sweet Judy. Her unwavering dedication and creative genius alongside Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi gave birth to ‘The Blues Brothers,’ a timeless testament to the power of music and laughter,” the post read. “In the years following John’s passing in 1982, Judy honored his life and championed his legacy and Blues Brothers brand. As we bid farewell, we pledge to continue her work, ensuring that John’s legacy and the Blues Brothers will never fade. There was no one like her. Judy made everyone feel loved. She was nonjudgmental, light, funny, and pure. You could be truly yourself around her; that alone was a gift. The Belushi and Pisano families will carry your love in their hearts forever.”
Judith was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2020, and entered into hospice care in 2023. Luke Pisano, Judith’s son, said she continued to fight the illness until Friday, when she passed away surrounded by her family.
“We’re going to miss her company terribly,” he said, describing Judith as “a great mother, beloved sister, [and] a special person.”
She first arrived in Chilmark in 1974 with Belushi after learning about the Island from a musician friend in Boston. The pair was living in New York City at the time, with Pisano working as a radio producer and Belushi starting to find success as a comedian.
“Just like everyone else, we fell in love with Lucy Vincent Beach,” Judith Belushi Pisano told the Times in 2013.
Her son said Judith spent much of her time in Vineyard Haven after Belushi’s death, selling the Chilmark summer house in the 1990s.
Pisano was active in the arts, including locally. She was a member of an Island band called the Ukeladies, and was even in the process of making an album before she passed away. Luke said he plans to release his mother’s album posthumously, with Island musician Ben Taylor “spearheading” the effort to collaborate with local artists.
She also found ways to honor the legacy of her late husband and the Blues Brothers. On the Island, she held a screening of the film “John Belushi: Dancing on the Edge” to benefit Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, and a show with Daniel Aykroyd, the other Blues Brother, to benefit the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse.
Pisano is survived by her children, Luke, Vanessa, Rebecca, and Jessica; and her grandchildren, Avery, Ella, Logan, Olivia, Henry, and Nico. Judith Belushi Pisano was the youngest of four siblings. She is also survived by her siblings, Patricia Brewster, Pamela Jacklin, and Robert Jacklin.
My most sincere condolences to all of Judy’s family, friends and everyone who enjoyed her myriad of talents. I knew Judy in the ’70s and tweeted with her a couple years ago. Always the most positive and delightful and funny person in the room. Such a loving heart. Rest In Peace, dear Judy.
I am so sad to hear that Judy has passed. Sending love, prayers and deepest sympathies to her family and friends.
So thankful for her devout dedication to preserving John Belushi’s legacy of endearing us all with his comedy, his heart and wit, acting and his music from The Blues Brother’s Movie and Records where Soul/ Blues legends Matt Guitar Murphy and Aretha Franklin were featured . I met Judy at “A Celebration Of John Belushi” in Arlington, Ma at The Regent Theatre in 2005. I was one of several guest Soul/ Blues Vocalists
( James Montgomery) to sing with the jumping Band( Matt Cadarette: guitar, Keith Cornell’s: guitar, Scott Aruda: Trumpet etc). It was such a joy and pleasure for me to be there and to sing “Gimme Some Lovin’ “ that night with all who were there to celebrate John. Judy was a delight to meet that evening. She MC’ed the Event. Her dedication to her husband John Belushi and his life’s work knew no bounds. Rest in sweet Peace ☮️ Judy, now you can see your sweet and so funny John again.
My husband Dan and I lived just behind Judy in Vineyard Haven.
Dan liked to take walks and being elderly, got tired near
home and would sit on the stone wall at Judy’s house to catch his breath.
She always came out to sit and talk with him. He passed the
same time she move away. God Bless her sweet self.
What an incredible woman and mother! God bless you Judy.
Judy served on the MVRHS School Council for a number of years, dedicating her insight and her humor into our meetings. She was an inspired parent who made all our lives at the high school happier. He influence lives on.
Several years ago our vacation group in Oak Bluffs were treated to an afternoon concert at the Tabernacle. Little did we know Judy was one of the Ukeladies!
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