Judith Belushi-Pisano

Judith Belushi-Pisano (born Judith Victoria Jacklin; January 7, 1951 – July 5, 2024), also known as Judy Jacklin Belushi,^[1] was an American radio and television producer.

Judith Belushi-Pisano
Born	Judith Victoria Jacklin (1951-01-07)January 7, 1951 Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
Died	July 5, 2024(2024-07-05) (aged 73) Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, U.S.
Other names	Judy Jacklin Belushi
Occupation(s)	Radio and television producer
Spouses	John Belushi ​ ​ (m. 1976; died 1982)​ Victor Pisano ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 2010)​
Children	1

Life and career

Belushi-Pisano was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on January 7, 1951.^[2][3] She grew up in Wheaton, Illinois, where she met John Belushi during high school.^[3] They moved to New York City as his career took off, and married in 1976.^[3] She was a radio producer for The National Lampoon Radio Hour.^[3]

Belushi's drug use put a strain on their marriage, and he died from a drug overdose in 1982.^[3][4][5] In the aftermath of her husband's death, Belushi-Pisano challenged the popular image that formed of him as "a hard-partying drug addict", as described by The New York Times, in favor of a more nuanced portrait that put his addiction in the context of "sudden fame, abysmal self-doubt and a [drug-heavy] celebrity culture".^[3] In 1990, she married producer, writer, and director Victor Pisano; he had three daughters from a previous marriage and they had one son before divorcing in 2010.^[6][3][7][8]

In 2011, Belushi-Pisano was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Nonfiction Series for her work on the television program Biography.^[9]

Belushi-Pisano died from endometrial cancer at her home on Martha's Vineyard, on July 5, 2024, aged 73.^[3]