Peter Jonathan Aykroyd (November 19, 1955 – November 6, 2021) was a Canadian actor, comedian, and writer.

Biography

Born to Lorraine (1918–2018) and Peter Hugh Aykroyd (1922–2020) in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, he was the younger brother of comedian

Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...

. Along with his older brother he was in the Second City comedy troupe in Toronto. The two were also on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

''. He was a cast member and writer during the show's fifth season, from 1979–1980. He and Dan Aykroyd wrote the movie '' Nothing but Trouble'' in the early 1990s; Peter wrote the story and Dan wrote the screenplay. In 1996, Peter Aykroyd co-created the Canadian sci-fi show ''

Psi Factor ''Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal'' is a Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all ...

'' with Christopher Chacon and Peter Ventrella; the show was hosted by his brother Dan and produced 88 episodes. In 1997, Peter Aykroyd and

Jim Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for the role of Jim on the sitcom ''According to Jim'' (2001–2009). His other television roles include ''Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), '' Total Security'' ...

provided the voices of

Elwood Blues The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respecti ...

and

Jake Blues The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respective ...

for the cartoon ''The Blues Brothers: Animated Series'', playing the roles made famous by their respective brothers Dan and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

. Peter Aykroyd appeared in such films as ''

Spies Like Us ''Spies Like Us'' is a 1985 American spy comedy film directed by John Landis, and starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest and Donna Dixon. The film presents the comic adventures of two novice intelligence agents sent to the Soviet Un ...

'', '' Dragnet'', '' Nothing but Trouble'' and ''

Coneheads The Coneheads are a fictional family of extraterrestrials with bald conical heads, created for a series of recurring sketches on ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL). They first appeared on the January 15, 1977 episode hosted by Ralph Nader (episode 3 ...

''. Aykroyd died in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

on November 6, 2021, at age 65, two weeks before his 66th birthday, from

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

caused by an untreated abdominal

hernia A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the gr ...

. His death was first announced two weeks later, through a title card on ''Saturday Night Live''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aykroyd, Peter 1955 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Canadian comedians 21st-century Canadian comedians Canadian male comedians Canadian male film actors Canadian male screenwriters Canadian male voice actors Canadian people of Dutch descent Canadian people of English descent Canadian people of French descent Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian sketch comedians Comedians from Ontario Deaths from hernias Deaths from sepsis Infectious disease deaths in Washington (state) Male actors from Ottawa Writers from Ottawa