Despite co-owning a vodka brand, the 'Ghostbusters' actor who lost his 'Blues Brothers' co-star John Belushi to drugs overdose warns against alcohol abuse.
- Jul 23, 2023
AceShowbiz - Dan Aykroyd feels "lucky" he doesn't "abuse" alcohol. "The Blues Brothers" actor, 71, becomes a co-founder of the Crystal Head vodka brand, which come in distinctive skull-shaped bottles, but warns boozing should be done in moderation.
Dan - who lost his best friend and "The Blues Brothers" co-star John Belushi to a drugs overdose in 1982 aged 33 after years of drink and drugs abuse - told the Daily Mail, "I'm lucky, I can consume alcohol moderately and I don't abuse it - the simile I use is, just because you have a Ducati motorcycle that goes 250mph it doesn't mean you take it on the highway and do that."
He added he loves tame drinking sessions with his 72-year-old "Ghostbusters" co-star Bill Murray. He said, "One of my favourite nights is with Bill Murray. On a Friday, just before everyone heads home from a set, he invites people to his trailer where he has a full bar and he makes everyone a cocktail or serves wine. Those sessions can go on for two or three hours and then everyone just goes home."
Dan, who has an estimated £200 million fortune, also runs the House of Blues clubs and part-owns a company that imports tequila to Canada. He said he recently indulged in his love of moderate drinking while in the UK to film the movie follow-up to "Ghostbusters" sequel "Afterlife".
Dan added, "I went to Yorkshire… that's where my people come from, with Tabitha Aykroyd, the Brontes' housekeeper, being a forebear of mine. I love it here. Particularly the pubs. Whenever I can I go to a country pub and have steak and kidney pie or a shepherd's pie with a nice half pint."
But he said about watching his diet as he ages, "I know I'm getting older. I drive slower now. I don't push the late nights. I watch the consumption of things I love, sweets and alcohol. Mostly I'm grateful - for the people I've worked with, the people who have supported me. I'm in a good, happy place. I could drop more weight, but I keep dancing because it's such a big part of extending life."
