The pressure of stardom and fame can all too often leads to insecurity and self-destructive substance abuse, but few Hollywood deaths left as strong an impact on the industry as that of comedian John Belushi, who died at just 33 years old. After becoming famous for his repertoire of hilarious characters on Saturday Night Live he appeared in the box office smash National Lampoon's Animal House, delivering a performance which seemed to presage his own predilection for excessive partying. Belushi's determination to break away from the boorish image which had made him so popular was less than successful, and most of his hits were comedies he made with Dan Ackroyd, with The Blues Brothers proving to be perhaps his most enduring film, widely considered a comedy classic. Typecast by Paramount Pictures in 1982, who rejected the script he had written to prove his versatility in favour of another raucous comedy, Belushi partied with friends, drinking continuously and snorting cocaine. After returning to his hotel bungalow he was joined by his friend Cathy Evelyn Smith who tried to help him with his depression by injecting him with the combination of heroin and cocaine known as a 'speedball.' It proved to be a lethal dose, and later Smith was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. John Belushi's death was something of a wake-up call for Hollywood; a scandal which rocked the industry and led a number of high profile actors to clean up their act. His real legacy, however, is his contribution to comedy, sadly cut short but not forgotten over 30 years later.
