Judith Belushi-Pisano (born Judith Victoria Jacklin; January 7, 1951 – July 5, 2024), also known as Judy Jacklin Belushi, was an American

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

and

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon acce ...

Life and career

Belushi-Pisano was born in

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, adjacent to Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 26th-most populous municipality in Illinois, with a population of 54,318 as of the 2020 census. Oak Park was first se ...

, on January 7, 1951. She grew up in

Wheaton, Illinois Wheaton is a city in and the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It is located in Milton and Winfield Townships, approximately west of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, Wheaton's population was 53,970, making it the 27th-mos ...

, where she met

John Belushi John Adam Belushi ( ; January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, singer and musician. He was one of seven ''Saturday Night Live'' cast members of the first season. He was arguably the most popular member of the ''Satur ...

during high school. They moved to New York City as his career took off, and married in 1976. She was a

radio producer A radio producer oversees the making of a radio show. The job title covers several different job descriptions: *Content producers or executive producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature. The content producer might organize music cho ...

for ''

The National Lampoon Radio Hour ''The National Lampoon Radio Hour'' was a comedy radio show which was created, produced and written by staff from ''National Lampoon'' magazine. The show ran weekly, for a little over a year, from November 17, 1973 to December 28, 1974. Or ...

''. Belushi's drug use put a strain on their marriage, and he died from a drug overdose in 1982. 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 ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', in favor of a more nuanced portrait that put his addiction in the context of "sudden fame, abysmal self-doubt and a rug-heavycelebrity culture". 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. In 2011, Belushi-Pisano was nominated for a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

in the category Outstanding Nonfiction Series for her work on the television program ''

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

''. Belushi-Pisano died from

endometrial cancer Endometrial cancer is a cancer that arises from the endometrium (the epithelium, lining of the uterus or womb). It is the result of the abnormal growth of cells (biology), cells that can invade or spread to other parts of the body. The first s ...

at her home on

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

, on July 5, 2024, aged 73.

References

External links

*
Judy Jacklin Could Be in The Limelight, But Noooo!
1951 births 2024 deaths People from Oak Park, Illinois Television producers from Illinois American women television producers American radio producers Deaths from endometrial cancer Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts People from Wheaton, Illinois {{US-tv-producer-stub