Gilda Radner and John Belushi are among those who are gone but not forgotten from the illustrious Saturday Night Live cast. Now, as the former and current members of SNL celebrate their 40th anniversary, they’re taking time to remember their talents and mourn their loss, reported People .
Gilda was golden when it came to comedy. That talent resulted in an Emmy, with highlights including her SNL character known as Rosanne Rosannadana. Ovarian cancer struck her down when she was only 42.
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Laraine Newman recalled her fondly.
“One time during a rehearsal in Louisiana, Gilda and I were left in a room somewhere for four hours. No food or water, no bathroom. No way to communicate. Remember, cell phones hadn’t been invented yet. But, Gilda being Gilda, made it a party. The room had one of those little metal trash cans with a lid and foot pedal that lifted it. This became Gilda’s puppet and I interviewed it. And, for 4 hours, we howled. She was such a dear friend.”
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“Losing John and Gilda was sad, but it’s not just them,” said Jane Curtin. “We’ve lost many. Some of the memories are lovely, some are sad, some are funny. But you keep going back.”
When John Belushi died at 33, he had already achieved film success with Blues Brothers . His death was ruled an accidental drug overdose.
Chevy Chase reflected on both of his colleagues and friends.
“It’s not hard looking back. It would only be hard if I tried to forget them. I loved these people and it was unfortunate how they died but they were wonderful. John was like up to my shoulder but a brick, strong fella, but he had his issues, as you know. Gilda always had a pocketbook filled with candy. That’s all she ate, she loved it. She was loved by many. I think about the loss of Gilda and particularly the loss of John and think, that’s it, you’re never going to find them again, anything like them.”
One familiar voice on the show was never actually seen. And that’s the announcements of Don Pardo , who shouted out the names of every cast member for years, reported CNN .
Others include Phil Hartman, Chris Farley, Jan Hooks, Danitra Vance, and Charles Rocket.
Chris Farley died of a drug overdose, and he battled deep depression , according to Movie Pilot . He also struggled with addiction.
And he’s not alone when it comes to stars fighting to overcome depression and addiction , as the Inquisitr reported. Whitney Houston was vocal about her ongoing battle with drugs. And although she sought help from rehab several times, she too lost the war.
[Photo By Kevin Winter/Getty Images]